


East of Albuquerque

by Aromene



Series: Cardinal Points [1]
Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, On the Run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-03
Updated: 2011-10-03
Packaged: 2017-10-24 06:45:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/260306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aromene/pseuds/Aromene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One small change in fate and Bella is left trapped in the Phoenix airport, unable to evade Jasper and save her mother. One split second and the entire story unravels. Trying to stay one step ahead of James, Edward and Bella are on the run. But as they race to New York and then west to avoid the tracker, Edward discovers there are other dangers to worry about. Victoria has disappeared and Alice and Jasper have their own problems in Phoenix. And then Bella falls ill. It's a mad dash across America, but there's a fight coming, and only one coven can win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	East of Albuquerque

**Title: East of Albuquerque  
Author(s): Eldanna  
Fandom(s): Twilight  
Pairing(s): Edward/Bella  
Word Count: 43,000  
Rating/Warnings: Rated K+, for kissing. No warnings.  
Beta: Cliodna-bright  
**

 

 **Author's notes:** Dedication: Normally this would be to a person, like my beta reader. But since this story came about in a very off-the-wall way, I have to dedicate it to Studio (c) who makes blue liquid pens, since it is thanks to them that this thing ever got from my head to the paper.  
This takes a fairly massive step sideways near the end of Twilight. But it’s not an unlooked for sidestep and it comes back around to canon by Prom.

* * *

  


**Chapter 1**

Bella reached out her hand to stop the elevator doors as they slid shut, but at the last second her clumsiness appeared and she stumbled. Instead of throwing a hand between the closing doors, her instincts caused her to throw both arms out to prevent a headlong fall towards the ground. Her hands came to rest with a slap on either side of the now closed doors.

Bella let out a sob, pressing her forehead against the cold metal.

‘Bella?’ Jasper’s voice spoke softly from just behind her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to escape. She would never get away now. Edward would be there soon and Jasper and Alice wouldn’t take their eyes off of her until then. And James...James would kill her mother when Bella didn’t call. It wasn’t her he wanted, but Bella didn’t think for a second that that would matter to him if he was thirsty.

‘Bella, where were you going?’ Jasper’s voice wasn’t accusing, but he could feel the waves of despair flooding through her. It was nearly overwhelming his senses. He sent a wave of calm to her in response, but Bella was far too upset for it to do much good.

‘Come on, Bella,’ he said and put a cold hand on her arm. Bella openly flinched and Jasper recoiled immediately. ‘Edward will be here soon,’ he said instead, hoping that that would soothe her.

She took another forced breath before turning around to face him. ‘Yes,’ she agreed and headed back to where they had left Alice at the arrivals board.

The look on the pixie’s face told Bella all she needed to know. The vision had changed. Alice rushed forward as soon as she caught sight of them. ‘Bella! Bella, what happened? Didn’t you find anything you liked?’ It was an innocuous question, but since Alice didn’t know that Bella knew about her previous vision, it was clear she was trying to be subtle.

‘No,’ Bella admitted, sidestepping the lie.

Jasper and Alice exchanged a significant look and a very hurried conversation. Bella couldn’t make out a single word.

‘Bella,’ Alice started in a calming voice. ‘Why did you try to leave? Were you –’ but her voice stopped suddenly. It was clear that she had figured it out without having to ask. ‘Bella, my vision changed. But only after your mom called. Bella, were you trying to go to her?’

Bella sighed heavily. She might as well come clean, since she wasn’t going to be able to fulfil James’ request. And maybe, just maybe, there was something they could do. Maybe James would leave Renée alone to continue on the hunt.

‘It was James. He has my mom.’ Alice gasped softly. ‘He said if I didn’t do what he wanted – get away from you – he’d kill her.’ As Bella finished the rushed explanation, Alice started to frown.

‘Bella, my vision just changed again. I don’t see you in it anymore. But I haven’t seen your mother at all. In any of the visions. Are you sure James has her?’

‘Of course! I heard her calling me when he was on the phone! She came back early, to the house, and he found her there! That’s where he called from.’ The tears were creeping back again and Bella was having a harder time fighting them off.

On the arrivals board above them, the flight from Seattle popped up as ARRIVED. Bella didn’t notice.

‘Bella!’ Alice’s clear ringing voice cut through the hysteria that threatened to overwhelm her. Cold hands grasped her face until Bella had no choice but to look Alice in the eye. ‘Bella, I need you to listen to me. I can see James. In the ballet studio and at your house. I could see you there too, but that’s changed now. But I have not seen your mother.’ She pronounced these last words as slowly and clearly as possible.

Bella blinked at her, confused. ‘But I heard her on the phone; she was _there_.’

‘No Bella,’ Alice stated matter-of-factly. ‘I don’t know how James managed it, but he cannot have your mother. I would have _seen_ her Bella. I’ve been looking! Your mother is safe. She’s probably still in Jacksonville.’

Bella took a gasping breath and tried to calm herself, to give herself the chance to believe that Alice could be right. A wave of forced calm flowed through her and she cast a grateful look at Jasper, still standing quietly beside her. Her heart beat was slowing; her gasping breaths finally drawing air into her starved lungs.

And then, unlooked for, Edward was there. Bella’s tears returned tenfold as she collapsed into his arms, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe again. Her feet moved of their own accord and then her legs hit a solid object and Edward pressed her down into a hard plastic seat, still holding her tightly. She clung to his shirt, unable to let go.

She had no idea how much time passed. When she came back to herself, Edward was still there, solidly holding her. Around them the ebb and flow of the busy airport continued. Alice, Emmett and Carlisle stood nearby, and Jasper arrived back as Bella was wiping the tears from her now red eyes.

‘You need to go.’ He flashed three pieces of paper that looked suspiciously like airline tickets. ‘I’ve checked you in. The flight leaves in twenty minutes. They’re already calling final boarding.’

‘Bella,’ Edward’s soothing voice startled her. She had been focused on what Jasper was saying. ‘Bella, we need to go.’ His hand was under her arm, pulling her up on shaking legs, grabbing her bag and the tickets from Jasper. He kept her arm tightly locked in his. ‘We need to hurry.’

There was no goodbye. No discussion. Perhaps they had gone through everything while she was breaking down in Edward’s arms. He was tugging her along now, almost at a jog as they raced through the terminal to the escalators and down to the departure level. By some quirk of fate there was no back log at security. Edward dumped her bag on the scanner belt, bending down to tug her shoes off and then pushed her forward through the metal detector. She was half aware of Carlisle’s presence behind her and wondered briefly where Emmett was. Hadn’t he been supposed to come with them too?

And then they were through, no questions asked, tugging on shoes and speeding down the length of the terminal towards the gate. They arrived with seconds to spare. It looked like the attendant was just starting to close the doors.

‘We’ve been calling final boarding for twenty minutes, sir,’ she said to Edward. She sounded politely annoyed.

‘My apologies,’ Edward flashed her a dazzling smile and her annoyance dissolved instantly. ‘One of those days; I’m sure you understand.’

‘Yes, of course,’ she stammered. ‘Can I have your tickets?’ Edward handed them over.

‘All in order, sir,’ she said after the briefest glance at the papers. ‘On you go then and enjoy your flight!’

Edward spared her another half smile before they passed through the doors and down the ramp to the plane.

Bella found her voice at last. ‘Edward, where are we going?’

He glanced at her as they neared the still open door of the plane at the end of the boarding ramp. ‘Washington,’ he said.

‘Home?’ Bella asked, confused.

‘No,’ Edward said, guiding her onto the plane in front of him. ‘Washington, D.C.’

‘Okay,’ she responded. Another flight attendant had taken the tickets Edward held out to her and was showing them to their seats, only two rows down.

‘Edward –’ Bella started again.

‘Last seats left,’ he answered before she could finish, but he was smiling crookedly. She couldn’t help but smile back.

It wasn’t a small plane but Jasper had managed to get the seats together in a row: two along one side of the aisle and a single on the other. Edward shoved Bella’s bag and another brown leather satchel she didn’t recognise into the overhead bin and pushed Bella down into the window seat, taking the aisle himself.

Carlisle settled into the seat across the aisle. As the flight attendant walked passed them to check that everything was secure, Edward stopped her. ‘A glass of juice as soon as you get the chance, please.’ He flashed another significant look her way.

‘Of course sir!’ she exclaimed, and instead of continuing her check she turned back to the First Class kitchen to pour a glass of orange juice. Edward accepted it from her gratefully.

‘Drink, Bella,’ he said as he set the glass in her hand. She was still slightly shaken from the shock of everything, so he didn’t let go of the glass until she had both hands wrapped around the cold crystal and the rim at her lips. The sudden rush of sugar helped, and it was at least something in her empty stomach. It had been too long since she had last eaten.

When the glass was empty, Edward took it from her. ‘Better?’ She nodded and then blushed red as her stomach rumbled. Apparently the juice had been just enough to remind her body how hungry it was.

‘As soon as we are airborne we’ll get you something to eat, Bella.’ Carlisle’s voice was strong and calming from across the aisle. Bella leaned around Edward to look at him. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.

It was such a normal question from Carlisle, even though Edward had just inquired the same thing.

She didn’t have an answer for either of them. ‘I don’t know. Alice said he –’ Bella stopped herself. They were on a crowded plane with too many people who might overhear. She pitched her voice as low as she could, knowing that even in the hubbub of the plane her two companions would be able to hear. ‘He called me and he _had_ her. I know her voice, but Alice said she can’t be there; that she hasn’t seen her in any of her visions.’

‘I saw what she saw, Bella,’ Edward whispered into her ear. ‘When we land you can call her again. But Alice and Jasper are staying in Phoenix. If your mother shows up, they will keep her safe.’

Bella decided to let it go for the moment. ‘Why are we going to Washington?’ Bella asked, slightly louder this time. It seemed a safe enough question for their plane mates to overhear. She was suddenly exhausted and wanted to lie down.

‘It was the next flight leaving that still had seats available,’ Edward told her with a shrug she felt against her shoulder. Her eyes were starting to slide closed of their own accord. Below her she could feel the movement of the plane as it taxied onto the runway. ‘We won’t stay there, at least not for long.’ Edward’s voice softened above her head, which now rested on his shoulder. It wasn’t the best pillow, but she needed the contact. She felt a soft pressure on her hair. He had kissed her head like he always did. ‘You need to sleep, Bella. Alice said you’ve been awake since two this morning.’

‘I went to bed at six yesterday,’ she muttered in protest. It seemed important.

‘I know,’ he chuckled against her. ‘But you’ve had a shock this morning and your body has been running on adrenaline since we left the baseball field. You need the rest. It’s a long flight. At least try to get some sleep,’ he pleaded.

‘Okay,’ she whispered back, giving up the fight. Bella was asleep before the plane even took off.

* * *

  
It turned out to be only a short nap, though it did help. The sound of a nearby coughing fit woke her just thirty minutes later. For a moment Bella wasn’t sure where she was. She knew she was leaning against Edward, but it took a moment of confusion before she remembered the airport and then getting on the plane. Abruptly, she was wide awake.

‘Hey,’ Edward said beside her.

‘How long?’

‘Not long enough. Are you still hungry? I’d like you to try to eat.’

The flight attendant was just starting to hand out covered trays of food in First Class.

‘Yeah.’ She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes and sat up straight. Edward accepted a loaded tray from the attendant. Bella had never flown First Class before and was surprised to see the real china dishes and coffee cup. Edward held the tray with ease in one hand while unfolding the tray table from the armrest with the other.

Bella took a moment to admire the food, completely ignoring the rest of Edward’s exchange with the server. A Coke appeared on the tray in place of the coffee cup, and then a glass of water.

Bella was just about to start eating when the man in the seat in front of them started coughing again. Edward looked unhappy.

‘Drink both of those.’ He gestured to the Coke and water. ‘I don’t want you dehydrated.’

After the first bite of chicken in mushroom sauce with rice, Bella dug in. It was surprisingly good for airline food, but even if it hadn’t been she was now too hungry to care. There were some mixed veggies too, with a shrimp salad on the side and vanilla cake for dessert. Bella didn’t stop until the last crumb was gone.

Edward was smiling at her, enthralled as usual by watching her eat. ‘Better?’ he asked again.

This time she answered, ‘Yes. I didn’t realise how hungry I was.’

‘Not eating breakfast will do that.’ He reached a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘You should sleep again; we still have most of the flight left.’

‘I can sleep when we get to D.C. Will you tell me what happened?’ Her voice dropped to a whisper again. ‘You said on the phone that you tracked James to Vancouver before he doubled back. Why? How did he know I’d gone to Phoenix?’

‘Alice didn’t tell you?’ He seemed surprised. Bella shook her head. ‘I think it was Victoria that tipped him off. Either way, it didn’t take as long for him to realise he was on the wrong trail as we thought. Victoria broke into the school to find your records. As soon as James realised he was following a false lead, he remembered hearing you say you were going back to Phoenix. At first he hadn’t believed it, but when he couldn’t find you he took the chance. He wasn’t positive though, until we caught the flight in Seattle. Then he knew for certain you were here. That’s when he called you, right?’ Bella nodded. ‘It might be a while before he realises you aren’t meeting him. That gives Alice and Jasper time to track him.’

‘Noon,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘He told me I had until noon or he’d –’ Bella stumbled over the last words, trying to remind herself that Alice said they couldn’t be true. Her mother was fine, probably still safe in Florida with Phil.

‘That still gives them time. He might call again when you don’t meet him. It will give Alice and Jasper a place to start. Don’t worry, Bella; you’re safe now. The others will take care of James and Victoria.’

‘Is that why Emmett stayed behind instead of, um, Carlisle?’ She looked across the aisle to find that he was watching her, listening to the whispered conversation too quiet for anyone else to hear.

‘Yes, Bella,’ Carlisle replied for Edward.

‘Also,’ Edward drew her focus back to him with a smile, ‘considering what a trouble magnet you are, I thought it might be better to have Carlisle with us. Just in case.’

Bella glared at him, but the statement made Carlisle smile. ‘Better safe than sorry,’ he said, glancing in front of Bella to the first row and the man who was clearly sick. He was probably just suffering from a cold and she wasn’t quite so delicate as to be a walking magnet for every cold virus in the world.

‘I did fine with Alice and Jasper,’ she argued, feeling the need to defend them.

‘We’re on the run now, Bella and I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe,’ Edward told her.

‘And where will we run to? For how long? Sooner or later my mom’s going to realise I’m not in Phoenix where I said I’d be. And Charlie knows I’m not in Forks. What happens then, Edward?’ she demanded, annoyance and fear raising her voice louder than necessary.

‘Quietly, Bella,’ Edward cautioned her. It made her feel like a scolded child, but she dropped her voice anyway, knowing they shouldn’t be overheard. ‘It won’t take that long. We’ll get you back to Forks soon enough,’ Edward went on.

‘That’s not what you said before,’ she pointed out.

Edward was clearly losing patience with her. Suddenly he sighed. ‘Carlisle’s going to switch places with me. You need to stop asking questions and rest, and I need to plan. We can’t stay in D.C.; it will be too easy for James to track us. I don’t think it will be long before he realises you got on this plane. But I’m hoping that he doesn’t know who is with you or how many.’ Edward leaned away from her before rising. Within a second he was sitting down across the aisle and his father was beside her instead.

‘Edward, I can sleep just fine with you here.’ She motioned to Carlisle’s occupied seat. ‘Better, probably.’

Edward smiled sweetly at her and for a second she forgot how to breathe. ‘Just sleep, Bella,’ his voice broke the gaze and she drew a deep break. He exchanged a significant look with his father.

‘Bella,’ Carlisle started, ‘your body needs rest. We may be moving quite a bit in the next few days and sleep will not be easy for you to come by. Please, see if you can rest for a few hours before we land. You will feel better for it.’

Objectively she knew they were right. She was still quite tired, but she also had a million questions she wanted answered as well. Still, it wasn’t likely she was going to win an argument against two vampires.

‘Wake me before we land?’ she asked Carlisle. He nodded at her. Lacking Edward’s cold shoulder to lean her head against she decided with some embarrassment, to use his father’s instead. It felt almost the same.

Bella concentrated on slowing her breathing and focusing her still tense body to relax. It took a concerted effort, but before long exhaustion took hold and she fell back to sleep.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 2**

She woke, less disoriented this time, to a noticeable change in cabin pressure. They were starting the descent into D.C. She stretched out as best she could in the confined space by the window. First Class wasn’t that much roomier than economy. Carlisle acknowledged her return to consciousness with a nod. He was deep in an almost silent conversation with Edward.

‘I need a human moment,’ she interrupted. Carlisle rose gracefully from his seat to allow her past, catching her with ease when her stiff legs nearly pitched her towards the seat in front. ‘I’m fine,’ she assured him after a moment. The cold hands disappeared, but Bella was aware they both watched her carefully as she shuffled forward towards to the lavatory.

The plane dipped another few hundred feet and Bella clutched the seat to her left to keep her feet. She smiled back at Edward to let him know she was okay.

In the bathroom she splashed water on her face in an attempt to feel more awake. It helped a bit. By the time she stumbled back to her seat a few minutes later, the seat belt sign was on and Edward was once more in the seat beside hers.

‘Did you sleep well?’ he asked, taking her hand.

‘Yes. Did you come up with a good plan?’

He smiled at her. ‘A workable one, at least. We’ll be landing in less than ten minutes; put your seat belt on.’

With a sigh, she did as instructed. Were the next few days going to be an endless series of the two of them treating her like she was a child? If so, it would be a long few days. But right now, Bella was still too tired to argue.

When the plane came to a stop at Gate 38 at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, Edward grabbed their bags and Bella’s arm and led the way into the terminal. At the arrivals lounge they turned towards the car rental counters. Carlisle seemed to pick a company at random and within moments the ID he flashed was checked, the credit card verified and the keys were in his hand.

Something occurred to her. ‘You said James would figure out I was on the plane, but not who was with me.’ Edward looked at her, but seemed to be waiting for her to make the point. ‘That ID,’ she gestured at Carlisle as he walked back towards them, ‘does not say Carlisle Cullen, does it?’

Edward smiled at her. It almost looked proud. ‘And mine doesn’t say Edward Cullen, either. But there was no time to make a new identity for you. If we’re lucky it won’t be terribly easy for James to hack into the flight records. He knows what flight we arrived into Phoenix on. He can guess we’d leave as soon as possible; get you out of the city quickly.’ They followed Carlisle through the exit doors to the rental lot and down a row of luxury sedans to a silver Audi A6. Edward tossed the bags into the trunk and got into the back seat with her.

‘From there,’ he continued, ‘if he can get into the system he’ll find your name. But we won’t be in D.C. anymore.’ He grinned widely at her for the first time since the ruined ball game. Her heart stuttered and then resumed. Suddenly he grinned wider and turned to Carlisle. ‘It does that.’

Bella looked at him questioningly.

‘Carlisle is curious to know why your heart beat keeps skipping like it just did.’ At this, Bella smiled too.

‘It’s Edward’s fault,’ she told Carlisle’s reflection in the rear view mirror as they headed out of the airport. ‘He keeps dazzling me.’

‘For the sake of her health, Edward, you had best stop that,’ Carlisle cautioned, but he was smiling too.

‘I rarely do it on purpose,’ Edward defended.

‘Be that as it may,’ Carlisle began again, turning this time to look right at him. His eyes were completely off the road as the car wound through city traffic.

Bella restrained herself from shouting at him to watch where they were going. She was familiar enough with this trick from Edward to know the car wouldn’t crash.

‘I’ll try harder,’ Edward promised. He winked at her.

In the front seat, Carlisle sighed.

‘So in this grand plan of yours,’ Bella asked, ‘where are we headed?’

‘You were right about Phoenix. It’s a large city; the larger, the better for hiding. We’ll drive to New York. Emmett and Rosalie have a loft in Manhattan. Emmett gave me the keys when we left Forks, just in case. We’ll be safe there for a few days. They haven’t been there for years, not since we moved to Alaska, and it’s under a false name. It will buy Jasper and Alice some time. Failing that,’ Edward added, ‘there will be a new passport ready for you in a few days. We’ll go overseas; James won’t be able to follow.’

Bella stared at him incredulously. ‘And _Charlie_? My mother?’

Edward looked away from her for a second, hesitant. ‘I’m working on it. I promise you, Bella’ He grasped both of her hands, ‘I’ll keep you and your parents safe. It will be alright. We’ll be home soon.’

‘And what is the definition of soon to a 109 year old vampire?’ she wondered aloud.

In the driver’s seat Carlisle choked on a laugh.

‘She has a valid point, Edward. It won’t be long before Bella’s parents begin to ask questions we cannot answer. And if you do not all return to school, or myself to work, that will raise even more. We can watch Bella well enough in Forks, provided Esme and Rosalie can track the female. She has already proven herself too well informed about Bella.’

This speech was delivered as Carlisle weaved the Audi in and out of mid-afternoon D.C. traffic, heading east out of the city. Bella tried not to look at the speedometer on the centre dash. At least if the car crashed, she could guarantee her own doctor at the scene.

‘I should call Mom now,’ Bella put in, when it looked like Edward was about to launch into a pointed argument about why keeping Bella safe was more important than worrying about how long it would take before Charlie called the FBI.

Silently, Edward handed over a small cell phone. Bella knew that it, like the one Alice had, would be untraceable. And at least James didn’t have the number of this one.

Bella dialled the house in Jacksonville, not sure if they would be home or not. It was only after Phil’s voice asked ‘Hello?’ that she realised she had no idea what to say.

‘Phil?’ she asked, stalling.

‘Bella, is that you? We’ve been worried sick. Where are you?’ A wave of relief swept through her. She hadn’t realised how afraid she had still been for Renée.

‘Is Mom there?’ she asked instead, evading the question she couldn’t answer.

‘Yeah, she’s still here. She’s flying to Phoenix tomorrow. That’s where you are, right? At the house?’

Bella winced.

‘You have to lie,’ Edward whispered beside her. ‘If we can keep them in Jacksonville, so much the better.’ Bella nodded at him to show that she understood.

‘Phil, I’m not in Phoenix. Look, can you tell Mom I’m fine but I’m not going home anymore? She should stay in Jacksonville with you.’

Bella knew this explanation wasn’t going to work the moment she heart Phil’s intake of breath.

‘Bella, what is going _on_? Look, your mom wants to talk. She’s right here –’ And before Bella could protest that the very last person she wanted to talk to was Renée, her mother’s voice broke in.

‘Bella, where _are_ you? I called Charlie and he said you’d run out of the house in the middle of the night. And your message said you were in Phoenix.’ Renée took a calming breath and demanded: ‘What is going on, Bella?’

Bella cringed. Edward squeezed her hand gently and smiled encouragingly at her.

‘I’m sorry, Mom,’ she said and let out a mostly faked sob. ‘I just needed to get out of Forks for a while. Phoenix made sense, but it was too long a drive for the truck.’ A sudden idea had occurred to her. ‘I’m in California.’

‘Bella –’ Renée started.

‘Look, I just need a few days. The truck’s in the garage getting fixed. I’ll be back in Forks as soon as I can. I promise I’ll call Dad and...apologise. I just need some time to figure things out, please understand,’ she begged, letting out another sob.

‘Oh sweetheart,’ her mother soothed and Bella knew she had her. ‘I know it’s been hard for you in that wretched town. I thought things were getting better. But it’s okay.’ Her voice suddenly sounded cheerful. ‘We have news! Phil’s been signed and we’re going to buy a house here in Jacksonville. And you’ll have your own room. I just need a few weeks and then you can come home, sweetheart. You won’t have to go back to Forks for long!’

Bella sighed. Edward squeezed her hand. ‘Mom, I _want_ to go back to Forks. I don’t want to move to Jacksonville.’

‘But Bella, it’s great here. It’s always sunny! I know you’ll love it.’

‘No Mom,’ she said, and this time there were no tears in her voice. She had to make Renée understand. ‘I _want_ to live in Forks. I just needed a few days to figure that out. I know it’s not the best place but...it’s growing on me.’

‘Bella, your father said you broke up with your boyfriend.’ There was a noticeable pause. ‘What boyfriend?’

 _Charlie_ , Bella thought. There was no way out of this. Edward was smiling at her. Bella could see that Carlisle was listening intently. Bella sighed in defeat.

‘His name is Edward,’ she admitted.

‘Oh Bella!’ Renée sounded excited. ‘Tell me everything! Why did you break up, honey?’

‘It was stupid,’ Bella admitted. ‘That’s why I needed some time. I shouldn’t have done it, Mom. I really like him.’ She elbowed Edward as he chuckled and immediately regretted it when her elbow throbbed. ‘I want to go back to Forks. Back to him.’

‘Sweetheart, I don’t want you to make this decision just because of a boy...’

‘I know. But I really do like him, Mom. Like, really.’

‘Oh, Bella. Well, it’s about time, I guess. I was starting to think that maybe you preferred –’

Bella cut her off in horror. ‘Mom!’ she all but screamed through the phone.

Edward and Carlisle were both shaking in silent laughter.

 _Not helping_ , she mouthed to them.

‘Mom, really. Edward’s great! I think you’d really like him. Even Dad likes his family.’

‘Oh?’ Renée asked.

‘Yeah, Edward’s father works at the hospital in Forks. He’s one of the doctors. And even Cha—Dad says all the kids are really well behaved. They never cause trouble.’

Renée hummed. ‘I’m so glad to hear that. And he’s a doctor’s son Bella!’

Carlisle laughed silently. Bella glared at his back.

‘But sweetheart, if you’re not sure...Please, we’d really like you to come and live with us in Jacksonville.’ It almost sounded like Renée was begging.

‘Thanks Mom, but I really want to live in Forks. I’ll be back in a few days and I promise to call Dad and tell him what’s going on.’

Renée sighed in defeat. ‘Alright, Bella, if you’re sure. But if you change your mind, you’ll have your own room in the new house! And we want you to come and visit this summer!’

‘I will, Mom.’ This she could agree to. ‘So you don’t need to go to Phoenix anymore, right?’

‘But the flight’s already booked. And I need to start packing. We’ll be selling the house, of course.’

Panic swept through Bella again and she looked pleadingly at Edward.

‘Can’t you wait a couple of weeks? You shouldn’t have to do it all yourself. I will come after school is out and help you, alright?’ _Please work. Please work,_ she begged in her head.

‘Well...’ Renée seemed to deliberate. ‘I suppose I could bump the flight for a month or so. Are you sure you can come down after school ends, honey? It _would_ be nice to have help. Phil has to stay in Florida and practice.’

‘Of course!’ Bella said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. ‘I don’t want you doing it all yourself. Look, wait until the end of June. I’ll come down as soon as exams are over, I promise. Alright?’ _Please work. Please work,_ the mantra continued.

‘Alright, Bella, I’ll call the airline and change the flight.’

‘Thanks, Mom,’ she breathed in relief. Her mom and Phil were safe. ‘Look, I’ve got to go, but I’ll call as soon as I get back to Dad’s, alright?’

‘You do that sweetheart. And remember, if you change your mind, we’re only a flight away. And we’d love to have you.’

‘I know. I love you.’

‘I love you too, Bella. You take care driving back to Washington!’ Renée rarely sounded more like a parent than when we she was giving Bella driving advice.

‘I will. Say bye to Phil.’ She hit the ‘end’ button on the cell only after she had heart the click of the phone hanging up on the other end. Edward took it from her shaking hand.

‘Are you alright, Bella?’

‘Yeah, I’m just...relieved. God, I thought for sure she was in Phoenix.’

Edward hugged her to him. ‘She’s safe, Bella. You’re safe.’

A quiet moment passed. The car was speeding out of the city towards open country.

‘So, your mother approves of me, does she? The doctor’s son?’

Bella let out a relieved laugh. ‘She doesn’t mean it like that. She’s just always been a little worried about the kind of guys I’ll meet. She’ll love you, especially if you have any plans to follow in your father’s footsteps.’

Carlisle’s calm voice spoke from the front seat. ‘He already has.’

Edward winced, almost embarrassed.

‘What’s this?’ Bella asked, pushing herself up to sit straight against the black leather seat so that she could look directly at Edward.

Edward seemed disinclined to answer. Carlisle did it for him with a smile.

‘Edward may not practice medicine, but he does have two medical degrees.’

‘Seriously?’ Bella exclaimed. It shouldn’t have been so surprising. He’d certainly been alive long enough, but it had never occurred to her that he might actually have followed Carlisle’s career path.

‘It was a while ago,’ Edward shrugged.

‘Yes, but you have a perfect memory. I’m actually dating a _doctor_ ,’ Bella snickered. ‘You have two MDs. I feel so insignificant right now,’ she joked.

Edward held her gaze. ‘We’ve been over this: you are not insignificant. You are amazing. They’re just degrees. I’ve never actually practiced, at least not outside of residency. Carlisle keeps hinting that I should go back again but –’

‘You should!’ Bella told him. ‘I mean, if you’ve done it before, you _can_. Can you practice? I mean, if you got your certification again, do you think you could actually work in a hospital?’

Edward shrugged. ‘Carlisle thinks so.’ He gestured to the front seat. ‘I’m not so sure. I certainly couldn’t work there if there was the slightest possibility that you’d end up in there bleeding one day. And you would.’ He stared at her.

‘Isn’t that what Carlisle’s for?’ she countered.

‘Valid point,’ Edward admitted when his father laughed.

‘I can’t believe I’m dating a doctor.’ Bella grinned at him again.

‘You’re not going to let this go, are you?’ he asked in a resigned voice.

‘Not really, no,’ Bella admitted with a laugh. ‘You have to admit, it’s a little bit ironic.’

‘I’d say more than a little bit, actually. The walking trouble magnet has her very own doctor who is more likely to eat her than treat her.’

‘You wouldn’t,’ Bella stated matter-of-factly.

‘You keep overestimating my self control,’ Edward muttered, exasperated.

‘And you keep underestimating it. You’ve told me that you can’t bear the thought of me being hurt. Do you really think that if I was lying there, bleeding – dying – that you’d attack me?’

‘Yes!’ Edward exclaimed loudly.

‘Well, I don’t think you would,’ Bella responded calmly.

‘She may be right, Edward. You must admit that despite how strongly Bella’s blood calls to you, you resist it remarkably well.’ Carlisle spoke his thoughts aloud for Bella’s benefit.

‘When it’s not bleeding out of her body, that is,’ Edward muttered darkly.

Bella sighed. ‘How long does it take to get to New York?’ She asked to change the subject, tired of the circles they were still running around the same topic.

‘Normally, or with one of us driving?’ Edward’s smile was back, although his look told her he hadn’t quite given up on the previous conversation.

‘Edward...’ Sometimes he could be so purposely infuriating.

‘We should be there in time for a late dinner.’

‘For me or you?’ she wondered. ‘This is important. When are you both going to hunt? There won’t be many deer in the middle of New York City.’

‘We’ll be fine for a few days. Carlisle and I both hunted while we were tracking James, just in case. If we’re here long, and I don’t plan for us to be, then we can alternate. I won’t leave you unprotected.’ The love in his eyes nearly took her breath away.

‘And I won’t have you going hungry. Promise me you’ll feed when you need to?’

Edward sighed. ‘I’ll eat when I need to. Starving myself around you would be detrimental to keeping you safe,’ he admitted.

It was dangerously close to the topic of the previous conversation. ‘It’ll be fine, Bella, I promise. You should get some more sleep.’

‘I can sleep in Manhattan. It’s not like you’ll let me out of the apartment to play tourist.’

‘Not a chance,’ he said.

Bella sighed in defeat. It was going to be another long few days of waiting for phone calls. ‘I should call Charlie before Mom does. He deserves an explanation, and an apology.’

Edward handed over the cell again. She took a deep, calming breath before punching in the familiar number of her father’s house in Forks. It wasn’t until the fourth ring that she realised he would still be at work. That was a comfort, at least. It meant he wasn’t yet aware that she was not where she’d said she’d be in Phoenix.

‘I forgot he’s probably at work.’ She hesitated before dialling the station. At least Charlie might be less likely to yell at her if his co-workers were listening.

She got the receptionist, Anne, on the second ring. ‘Can I speak to Chief Swan please?’ she asked immediately.

‘Certainly,’ Anne replied. ‘Is that you Bella?’

‘Yeah,’ Bella admitted.

The phone system clicked over and then Charlie’s worried voice filled her ear.

‘Are you in Phoenix, Bells? Why haven’t you called?’

‘Dad, look, I’m really sorry for what I said. I just really needed to get away for a few days and think.’

‘Bella, your mother is worried sick!’ Charlie, of course, would never admit his own feelings.

‘I already talked to her. Look, the truck broke down in California.’ The lie was easier to tell the second time around. ‘It’s getting fixed, but I’m going to be here for a few days.’

‘I _knew_ that truck wouldn’t make it to Seattle, let alone Phoenix!’

‘Yeah, Dad, I’m aware of that now,’ she admitted with the least amount of sarcasm possible. ‘Look, it’s entirely fixable. As soon as I can, I’m heading back to Forks.’

There was silence on the other end.

‘Cha – Dad are you alright?’ Bella asked cautiously.

‘You’re coming back to Forks? Bella, you said you hated it here.’ There was a hint of confused desperation in his voice.

Bella sighed heavily. ‘I know, but I really just needed time to think things through. Maybe Forks isn’t all bad. I’m willing to give it another go.’

‘Well, I’ll be happy to have you back home, you know that Bells. But look, your mother called me. She told me Phil’s been signed and they’re staying in Jacksonville. I thought you’d want to live with her?’ The question was hesitant. It was obvious that Charlie hoped she wouldn’t.

‘Maybe, Dad, but I’d like to finish the semester in Forks first. I’ll help them move this summer and mom wants me to come and visit. But I really want to stay in Forks right now.’

There was another long pause. ‘Is this about that Cullen boy? Bella, I thought you broke up with him?’

Edward was smiling at her again. ‘I did. Well, sort of. We’ve talked and...I want to come back. Dad, I really like him. I just...overreacted.’ That sounded like a valid teenage excuse, she thought.

‘Bells, don’t plan your life around a boy. Don’t make the same mistake your mother and I made.’

‘I won’t Dad. But really, I want to come back. I’ll be there in a few days. Maybe by Sunday, depending on how long the repairs take on the truck.’ That delayed her arrival a few days, since it was already Wednesday.

‘Alright.’ His voice didn’t sound alright at all. ‘You’ll call me when you leave California, right?’

‘Of course, Dad. I’m really sorry about everything.’

Charlie chuckled in relief. ‘I guess I’ve been waiting for you to do something harebrained, Bells. You are a teenager, after all.’

Bella laughed with him, glad that he seemed to have forgiven her for her comments Sunday night. ‘Yeah, I promise not to make a habit of it.’

‘Good. You take care of yourself, Bells.’

‘I will Dad. You too,’ she said and hung up. ‘Well, that was easier than I thought.’

Edward smiled. ‘I told you he’d forgive you. Parents are remarkably forgiving.’ He glanced at Carlisle and a silent exchange passed between them.

Bella remembered Edward’s description of his own teenage rebellion and figured Charlie was getting off light.

‘I believe it’s part of the job description,’ Carlisle said. ‘Full and unconditional love.’

‘Has anyone ever told you, Carlisle, that you may be the best father in the world?’

The blond haired doctor laughed lightly. ‘I have a mug that says ‘#1 Dad’. I keep it at the office. Emmett gave it to me as a joke last year for Christmas.’

‘It’s not a joke if it’s true,’ Edward muttered.

Carlisle took his eyes off the road once more to turn around. ‘Thank you, son,’ he said in his most sincere voice.

The car in front of them on the freeway suddenly hit the brakes and Bella gasped, but Carlisle was already turning around and hitting the Audi’s brakes in response. The car softly decelerated.

‘Bella gets a little...upset when I don’t watch where I’m driving.’

Carlisle chuckled. ‘I’ve been driving automobiles for over a hundred years, Bella, and I’ve never been in an accident.’

‘She knows; she just doesn’t believe we won’t.’

‘I’ll keep my eyes on the road for the rest of the trip,’ Carlisle promised her.

‘Thanks,’ Bella admitted gratefully, and yawned.

‘Tired?’ Edward asked unnecessarily.

‘Yeah, I guess I still am. Car rides usually do that to me. But I guess there’s nothing else to do anyways.’

Edward shifted slightly beside her and Bella found herself pulled back against his chest. It was almost as comfortable as lying in bed with him. ‘I’ll wake you when we reach New York.’

‘Okay,’ she said. She was surprised at how tired she suddenly was. The three days of unusual sleeping patterns were catching up to her.

The movement of the car was surprisingly soothing, as was the solid bulk of Edward’s chest against which she pressed her cheek. The cold felt welcoming after the heat of Phoenix. Maybe she was beginning to like another aspect of Forks.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 3**

A ringing phone woke her, despite the fact that Edward answered it on the first note.

‘What is it Jasper?’ was about the only part of the rapid conversation that Bella was able to make out. Edward’s tense posture beside her, though, indicated that it was not good news.

‘Edward?’ she asked as soon as the call ended.

Carlisle must have asked something at the same time, because Edward answered his father’s silent question first, again too fast for her to follow.

When he was finished he looked at her and she struggled upright against him.

‘James has figured out you’ve left Phoenix. It took him longer than I thought. Alice saw him contact Victoria, but she doesn’t know where you are yet. She’ll figure out the flight to Washington soon, though.

‘James hasn’t yet made a decision that Alice can see. He’s still in Phoenix. Alice and Jasper missed him at the ballet studio, though not by much. They’re tracking him now, but Alice is waiting to see where he decides to go next. But she does know that Victoria has left Forks. Esme confirmed it. Your father’s safe, Bella.’

‘Good,’ she sighed. ‘Does she know where Victoria’s gone?’

‘No,’ Edward sighed heavily. ‘She’s disappeared for now. She’ll probably try to meet with James, but Alice will keep watching.’

Bella glanced out the window in thought and realised that they were on a wide freeway passing through a densely populated area. ‘Is this –?’ she started to ask.

‘New York. I was about to wake you when Jasper called. We’ll be at the loft soon. You’re probably getting hungry.’

‘Actually,’ she blushed, ‘I need a human moment more than anything.’

‘Do you want to stop?’ he asked. He was already focused on road signs, looking for a likely place.

‘No, that’s alright,’ Bella quickly assured him.

‘We shouldn’t be more than thirty minutes. Traffic is light.’

It was, but then the clock on the dashboard announced it was after seven in the evening. Rush hour was over already. She could wait half an hour. Her stomach was starting to protest the fact that she hadn’t eaten since eleven that morning. Edward had said it would be a late dinner when they got to the loft. Bella wondered if she could convince him that a sandwich from a corner store was good enough. She didn’t relish the thought of Edward and Carlisle both watching her eat at some upscale restaurant. She was used to the staring, but she still disliked it.

The loft, when they arrived thirty minutes later, was everything she expected. It was a high-rise condo building overlooking Central Park, where the cheapest apartment was probably still over a million dollars. There was underground parking and a doorman as well. The décor of the loft fit Rosalie’s personality well, with enough shiny electronics to keep Emmett happy. It looked slightly dated. Edward had said no one had been here in a while.

‘Rosalie wanted to sell this last year. I’m glad she didn’t. It suits our needs for the next few days.’ Edward gestured to the right. ‘The bathroom is down there. I’ll order dinner. Is pizza alright?’

‘Yes!’ Bella called back, already at the bathroom door. Inside it was all tile and granite, very modern and simple. The shower was huge, but since that was probably what got the most use when Emmett and Rosalie were there, it made sense. She tried not to think too hard on that.

Carlisle had the flat screen on when she returned to the main room, though he seemed to be more concentrated on the rapid conversation he was having into the cell phone.

‘Esme,’ Edward mouthed as he led her to the sofa. ‘Pizza will be here shortly. There’s a great pizzeria around the corner.’

‘How would _you_ know?’ Bella asked, confused.

‘The front desk suggested it,’ he admitted.

‘Right,’ she said, unsurprised. The sofa was quite comfortable, though she took the opportunity to snuggle up to Edward when he sat down beside her.

Carlisle hung up the phone. ‘Esme says hello, Bella.’

‘How are things?’ Edward asked nonchalantly.

‘There’s no sign of Victoria. Emmett’s plane is expected in shortly. He and Rosalie will be in school tomorrow. Don’t worry, Bella, Esme will keep an eye on your father, just in case.’ Bella smiled her thanks. ‘Eleazar called.’ Edward sat up at this, intent. ‘Laurent found them. Esme brought them up to speed on what has happened. Laurent was apparently surprised to hear that Bella was still alive.’

Edward growled. ‘Did he offer any further advice?’

 

‘No. He’s content to stay out of this. The Denalis are allowing him to stay, provided he doesn’t change his mind about their diet.’

Edward’s look suggested that he thought Laurent would do exactly that, and soon.

‘He is willing to try, Edward. You must admit how admirable that is after three hundred years.’

‘It will be admirable only if he maintains our diet; he would not be the first to tire of the curiosity.’

‘Be that as it may, Laurent is not currently our concern. For now, we must concentrate on James and Victoria. Should Laurent prove a problem, Eleazar is more than capable of dealing with him.’ Edward nodded in acknowledgement of this. ‘We must wait for Alice to call.’

A knock on the door interrupted whatever else Carlisle might have said. Edward opened the door to find a man in a clean cut suit, holding a pizza box. The image was almost laughable.

‘Thank you, Stephan.’

‘Certainly, Mr. Cullen. I am sorry for the delay. Georgio’s is usually much faster,’ Stephan apologised.

‘Quite alright,’ Edward assured him, taking the box and slipping a few folded bills into the man’s hand.

‘If there is anything else you need during your stay, please let the front desk know.’ The man inclined his head slightly and departed.

‘Awfully well-dressed for a pizza delivery guy,’ Bella commented dryly.

‘He’s one of the valet staff for the building,’ Edward explained.

Instead of attempting to respond to that, Bella took the proffered pizza box. The smell was mouth-wateringly good.

As far as she knew, Edward had only seen her eat pizza once; the rather unappealing pepperoni they served in the Forks High cafeteria. This not only smelled better, but seemed to have all of her favourite toppings.

‘Is it alright?’ Edward asked, subtly keeping his distance. It probably smelled awful to him.

‘You remembered what I like. When did I tell you what pizza I like?’

‘The first time I drove you to school.’

She blinked at him, trying to think back. ‘I did?’

‘You did.’

Considering how many questions he had fired at her those first few days, it was unsurprising that she couldn’t remember him asking. It was also unsurprising he had remembered her answer.

‘Okay.’ She shrugged and turned her full attention to the olive, onion and mushroom pizza. It was pretty good.

Edward tried hard not to watch her, but the look on his face told her he was probably remembering that day in the cafeteria when he’d had a bite of her pizza. She’d never asked him afterwards what the consequences were, but now was probably not the time to find out.

Her hunger got her through three-quarters of the medium thin crust. Edward put the leftovers in the empty fridge when she declared she couldn’t eat another bite.

It was only eight at night, the sky outside barely past twilight. With all the napping Bella had done throughout the day, she wasn’t tired yet.

‘Can we watch a movie?’ she asked. Knowing Emmett there were probably a few thousand cable channels to choose from.

‘Anything you’d like.’ Edward retrieved the complex remote from in front of Carlisle and handed it over. ‘See if there’s anything you’d like to watch.’

‘Do you mind, Carlisle?’ He hadn’t exactly been paying attention to the television, but it was tuned to a world news station.

‘Not at all, Bella,’ he told her.

There were just under three thousand channels, but after a few minutes of flipping through the guide Bella found a movie just starting that she hadn’t seen yet. Edward curled up with her on the sofa, leaving Carlisle on the side chair. Bella only paid attention for the first ten minutes or so until Edward started to comb his fingers through her long hair. It was something Renée had liked to do when Bella was little and couldn’t get to sleep. Now, it made her drowsy. The repetitive movement was soothing and the movie was failing to hold her interest anyways.

For the first time in days Bella felt completely safe. It was a nice change from the terror that had plagued her since Sunday night. Her body slowly relaxed against Edward’s unyielding flesh and her eyes began to droop closed.

Edward stirred slightly as her breathing slowed. It was enough to stop her slide into sleep. ‘How about we try the bed, love?’ he asked. Without waiting for an answer he gently gathered her into his arms.

Bella raised her head slightly from his shoulder to say goodnight to Carlisle. The blond smiled at her. ‘Sleep well, Bella.’

The apartment was a true loft, with a narrow stair to the open bedroom above. Easily holding her with one hand, Edward pulled the covers back and slid her underneath, tucking them around her. He lay down on top of the duvet beside her. ‘Back to sleep,’ he whispered in her ear. It didn’t take long for Bella do to exactly that.  


* * *

  
She slept through the night, waking after dawn when the rising sun shone through the loft’s floor-to-ceiling windows. It was the brightness of day that woke her. Edward was gone.

‘Edward?’ she called experimentally, knowing he wouldn’t have gone far. He appeared at the end of the bed a split second later.

‘How did you sleep?’ He always asked her this, even though she knew now that he had watched her the whole night.

‘It feels nice to actually sleep at night. What time is it?’

‘Just after seven o’clock. Would you like breakfast? Carlisle made a trip to the café on the corner. There’s a croissant and a fruit smoothie that the barista swears is delicious.’

Bella smiled. ‘I’m sure it is. And healthy too. I usually just have cereal.’ He knew this, of course. He’d seen her eat breakfast before.

‘It wouldn’t hurt you to eat a bit more, Bella,’ Edward chastised; not for the first time.

It was likely that with him and Carlisle watching her so closely for the next few days, she would be doing exactly that.

‘Alright,’ she said, stretching as she climbed from the bed. ‘Just give me a minute. And can I have my bag?’ Edward pointed to the chair in the corner of the room where her suitcase was, along with the brown bag she’d noticed on the plane. ‘Thanks.’

She grabbed her own bag and carried it downstairs to the bathroom. She’d need a shower again later, but there would probably be time. It was doubtful Edward would allow her across the street to Central Park. She settled for splashing water on her face, running a brush through her tangled hair and scrubbing her teeth. Bella felt marginally more human when she was done.

On the kitchen counter was the largest butter croissant she had ever seen and a plastic drink container filled with what looked like a berry smoothie. It was pinkish-red, at least. Bella began pulling the flaky pastry apart into more manageable pieces. It tasted fresh, probably baked that morning. Forks didn’t have a proper pastry shop, only the local bakery with a few dessert items. There had been – and probably still was – a café on the corner of Cactus, across from the ballet studio in Phoenix. Renée used to take her there sometimes after classes. They made melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies and Renée liked the coffee. It was always a special treat for Bella after a really bad dancing lesson.

The smoothie tasted like strawberries. It was thick and creamy and probably made with full-fat yogurt. She knew she could afford it. Edward was right in that she never really ate much except when she made dinner for Charlie.

‘Same tomorrow?’ Edward asked when she was finished.

‘If we’re still here, yes.’ He had said a few days, but who knew when the plan could change? It was mostly dependent on James and Victoria’s decisions. ‘I need a shower,’ she announced and fled to the bathroom. Although it was hardly being alone, with the two of them outside in the loft, it felt nice to have some privacy.

There was plenty of hot water to be had from the waterfall showerhead. Bella enjoyed the hottest shower she could stand for nearly thirty minutes before a knock on the door interrupted her daydreams.

‘Bella, are you alright?’ Edward’s voice was hesitant but worried.

‘I’m fine,’ she called back, annoyed. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t hear her heart still beating. The interruption ruined the rest of the shower. She quickly finished washing her hair and shut the water off. The air in the room felt cold immediately. It was early spring in New York, noticeably colder than Phoenix, and no one had turned the heat on in the apartment. It wasn’t as cold as it could have been, since the lofts above and below were probably inhabited and therefore heated. It was no worse than Forks, at least, but it felt colder after the familiar warmth of Arizona.

Shivering, Bella pulled clean clothes from her bag and dressed. She blow-dried her hair slowly, enjoying the last of the privacy and the warmth of the blower. All too soon, however, she had run out of things to do.

The flat screen was on again when she left the bathroom. Bella wondered if they did it simply for a distraction. The volume was low enough that only Edward and Carlisle would be able to hear it.

Carlisle was nowhere in sight.

‘He’s gone out for a while,’ Edward answered in response to her unspoken question. ‘Your new passport should be arriving today.’ Bella decided to ignore that statement. They wouldn’t need it; at least not this trip. ‘And he’s returning the Audi.’

‘Why?’

‘Carlisle can be a bit of a car snob. In a hundred years he’s driven a car from pretty much every country and company in the world that’s available in America. He still prefers Mercedes. There’s a rental company here in Manhattan that deals exclusively in luxury cars.’

‘A Mercedes? That’s what his black car is at home, right?’

Edward sent her a slightly exasperated look. He still didn’t understand how she could be so ignorant about cars. Or love her outdated Chevy so much.

‘Yes. An S55.’

‘What does that mean?’

Edward sighed. ‘Mercedes produces cars under various classes. The S-Class are the top sedan - _car_ \- models. The 55 is one of the top cars in that class.’

‘So, expensive?’

‘Yes,’ Edward had also discovered that what little Bella did know about cars, she judged based on price. ‘Very.’

‘It was comfortable,’ she admitted.

‘It does well on long distance drives. The black tinted windows were a must for Jasper and Alice in Arizona, but we knew you’d be more comfortable as well. It was either Carlisle’s car or mine.’

‘You don’t have dark windows,’ she remembered.

Edward gave her an indescribable look. ‘I wasn’t talking about the Volvo.’

Bella looked confused and decided she was not very interested in asking the obvious question. ‘Okay,’ she drew the word out.

‘Would you like to watch another movie? Carlisle will be a while and he’ll bring lunch back for you.’ He gestured to the sofa and muted TV.

‘Sure, there must be something to watch on a thousand or so channels.’

Edward grinned at her as they settled on the sofa in much the same position as the night before. ‘There are only 643, actually.’

Bella elbowed him gently in order to save herself another bruise. ‘Close enough,’ she muttered.

He took control of the remote, flipping through the guide at human speed so that Bella could actually make out what was playing. They found the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet just starting. Edward groaned in mock exasperation.

Carlisle arrived back just as Juliet was committing her own suicide, unable to live without her now dead husband. Bella was almost sobbing.

‘Is everything alright?’ his clear voice asked cautiously, as he took in the movie and Bella crying in his son’s arms.

‘Bad acting makes her emotional,’ Edward explained, and then mocked an ‘ow!’ as Bella elbowed him again.

She flinched when her funny bone connected with his solid rib cage. ‘Owww,’ she whimpered in the middle of a sniffle.

‘I keep telling you not to do that,’ Edward reminded her. ‘Did you bruise it again?’

‘Probably,’ she said, rubbing the offended bone and flipping back and forth between the desire to laugh and cry.

‘Here,’ Edward said, twisting her arm gently so that he could kiss the pain away. She gaped at him, the movie forgotten, and then blushed scarlet when she remembered that Carlisle was watching. ‘Okay, probably not the moment most girls want their boyfriend’s father to see.’

‘I’ve seen worse,’ Carlisle laughed, ‘I assure you. I do share a house with Emmett and Rosalie.’

Bella blushed again. ‘Don’t remind me.’ A thought occurred to her. ‘I slept in their bed last night!’

Edward grinned. ‘I’m sure the sheets were clean,’ he joked.

‘Oh, thanks for that,’ Bella ground out with as much sarcasm as she could manage.

Carlisle cleared his throat politely. ‘I brought you lunch.’ He held up a take-out bag. ‘I do hope chicken salad is acceptable?’

‘Carlisle, I eat pretty much anything. I’m not a picky eater at all.’

Inside the nondescript paper bag was a thickly stuffed chicken salad sandwich on whole grain bread and a bottle of water. ‘This is perfect, thanks.’ Deciding that Emmett and Rosalie wouldn’t care, she curled up on the sofa again, ignoring the credits now running by on the screen.

‘So,’ Bella asked after she’d swallowed the first few bites and allowed Carlisle and Edward to have a one-sided whispered conversation. ‘Did you get a new car?’

Carlisle looked a little surprised, but then smiled. ‘The company was kind enough to offer a 450. The important thing is that the windows are tinted.’

‘That’s not as good as a 55, right?’ She asked Edward. He grinned proudly.

‘Right. It will do if we have a long drive ahead.’

Bella swallowed another bite. ‘And do we?’

‘Alice called while Carlisle was out.’

Bella put the sandwich down and sat up straight. ‘Did they catch him? Where’s Victoria?’

Edward held up a hand to stall any further questions. ‘There’s still no sign of the woman. Alice can’t see her, which means she hasn’t decided on anything, including meeting up with James.’

‘That’s good?’ Bella asked.

‘For now, yes. James, however, shouldn’t be around much longer for her to connect with. He hasn’t found our flight as of yet and even if he does, he can’t track you past the rental desk at DCA. He’s getting desperate, Alice says. She and Jasper nearly caught up with him last night. Clearly not being able to continue his hunt is frustrating him. Another few days and they’ll have him. Emmett’s flying back down tomorrow night to help; assuming they don’t catch James before then.’

‘That’s really good news. Does it fit into your plan?’

Edward smiled. ‘The plan is ever changing, but yes. I think we’ll stay here today and then we’ll move.’

‘Where next? I need to be home by Sunday, Edward...’ she reminded him.

‘And you will be. We’ll leave tomorrow morning and head west back to Washington.’

‘Wait!’ She abandoned the half-eaten sandwich altogether. ‘You mean, we’re _driving_ home? That’s across the country!’

‘And at twice the legal speed limit, it should take three days at most. Charlie won’t mind if you don’t get back until late Sunday night. You can just tell him you didn’t want to push the truck in case it broke down again.’

She thought about this for a minute. ‘I guess. And it will be harder for James and Victoria to track us on the road.’

Edward smiled reassuringly. ‘Impossible, in fact. And if Alice sees that the two of them aren’t hundreds of miles from Forks, than we can change the plan. Canada might be safe for a few days. And even with Laurent, the Denali’s are still an option. The rest of us can keep you safe from him.

‘Edward,’ she started.

He came to sit on the sofa with her. ‘Only as a last resort, love. We’ll try to have you home in time for school on Monday. But your safety is still the most important thing to me.’

Bella sighed in defeat. There was no arguing with a family of vampires bent on protecting her. She concentrated on finishing the rest of her lunch instead.

‘If James is still in Phoenix and Victoria can’t track us, can we visit Central Park?’ she asked when she’d finished.

Edward opened his mouth to protest, but for once she beat him to it.

‘Please? Just for a little while. You can’t take me to New York and not let me see _anything_! And besides, it’s definitely cloudy out.’ She gestured to the solid grey sky visible out the window.

Edward and Carlisle exchanged a few quick words.

‘Alright. Fresh air will be good for you. At least as fresh as the air ever is in New York City. Come on and bring a jacket with you. It’s chilly out today.’

Bella had left her bag on the bench by the bathroom door, so it only took a second to pull her jacket out. ‘Ready.’

‘Only for an hour and only around this corner of the park.’ From the look on his face Bella could see that these were non-negotiable.

‘Fine,’ Bella sighed. Even a little bit of New York was better than nothing.

‘We’ll be back in a while, Carlisle.’ Edward’s father nodded and said something to quietly for Bella to hear. ‘Yes,’ Edward answered him.

They used the front door this time. Edward nodded to the woman at the front desk dressed in a crisp, stylish business suit. She gave him a wide smile. Bella tried not to glare at her.

The doorman wished them a good afternoon and helpfully pointed out that there was an outdoor art exhibition going on in the north-east corner of the park. Edward thanked him, but turned in the opposite direction.

‘You don’t want to see some art?’ Bella asked. It wasn’t her favourite thing, but it would at least be something to do.

‘The trees are prettier this way,’ was all that he replied. It didn’t matter to Bella; at least she was outside on a nice, if cloudy day in New York City. The wind was cold for March, but at least it was dry. That alone made for a nice change from Forks.

They wandered through the park, walking hand in hand. For a short while Bella felt almost normal. Just like every other girlfriend out for an afternoon walk in Central Park with her boyfriend. It was nice to pretend that they were not being chased by a blood thirsty vampire fixated on Bella; on the run three thousand miles from home, with no sure plan of what came next.

Bella laughed to herself at the thought. Even on a regular day at home in Forks, she and Edward were hardly normal.

‘What’s funny?’ he asked.

‘I was just thinking how normal this is, right now. I mean, this is what normal people do right?’ She looked up at him.

‘Is it?’ he laughed. ‘I’m not sure I’d know.’

‘Well, that’s true.’ She smiled back.

They had wandered to the central lake, and now Edward pulled her towards the bridge that she’d seen many times in Hollywood films.

The park was not terribly busy, as it was a Thursday and not quite tourist season, but there were enough people around to stare at them. Or rather, at Edward. The only reason anyone would look at Bella was in wonder and jealousy of how she had ended up with the amazing bronze-haired Greek god at her side.

As usual, Edward ignored the looks. At the top of the stone bridge they stopped to look out over the water. It seemed surreal that they were actually there. The day before they had been in Phoenix and Bella had been convinced she was about to die. That she would never see Edward again.

He drew her into his arms and kissed her. It wasn’t a deep kiss, and for once Bella was able to restrain herself from pushing back. They were in a public place and having her boyfriend suddenly run away from her would look at bit strange.

The kiss was sweet, romantic. The setting even more so. There were probably a dozen people staring. Bella didn’t care. She’d forgotten how to breathe again.

Finally, Edward broke away and kissed her forehead. She took a deep breath, her heartbeat restarting with a jump.

‘What you do to me...’ she muttered.

‘Oh, I know,’ he laughed.

Bella looked about them. People were definitely staring. A few women had their jaws nearly on the ground. One or two looked about ready to rush over and tear Edward from her arms.

She giggled. Standing at the bottom of the bridge was a couple. They were quite a good pair; both good looking. The man was openly staring with a look that made Bella think he’d never seen a couple making out before. The woman looked like she herself had forgotten how to breathe.

Edward followed her gaze. She could feel him smile into her ear. He leaned down to give her another quick kiss.

‘We should head back. I don’t want Carlisle to worry.’

Bella sighed as he moved away from her, though she was pleasantly surprised when he kept one arm around her waist. ‘Alright,’ she agreed.

They walked right passed the other couple, who had not yet recovered. Edward smiled his dazzling smile and wished them a good afternoon.

The woman giggled hysterically as they passed by.

Bella couldn’t hold back the laugh. ‘Stop it!’ She slapped Edward as hard as she dared. ‘I can’t take you anywhere!’

‘You have said before that it’s not my fault I naturally dazzle people.’

‘I think you’re partly to blame.’

‘Perhaps,’ he shrugged.

She laughed again, sparing a brief look back at the couple. They seemed to have recovered.

They took a short cut back, returning to the loft just an hour after they’d left. Carlisle looked only slightly worried when they walked through the door.

‘Did you enjoy your walk?’

‘Quite a bit,’ Bella admitted, exchanging a secret smile with Edward that was ruined by a yawn.

‘Tired?’ he asked unnecessarily.

‘I guess. I’m not used to fresh air. I think I’ll take a nap,’ she paused. ‘Will you lie down with me?’

‘Of course,’ he gave Carlisle a look and then followed her up the stairs to the bedroom.

Bella yawned again as she curled back up on top of the covers. Edward lay down beside her, allowing her to use his shoulder as a pillow.

‘Thanks for the walk,’ she told him.

‘You’re welcome. I didn’t think it would tire you out this much.’

She smiled. ‘I’ve been inside for days. It’s the first real exercise I’ve had since Sunday.’

‘True. Get some rest, then. I’ll wake you for dinner.’

‘Okay. Can we go out?’ As long as it wasn’t anywhere fancy, it would be nice to get out of the loft again, she thought.

Edward sighed against her. ‘I’ll think about it. Just sleep, Bella.’  


* * *

  
**Chapter 4**

When she woke it was almost dark in the loft. Her head was pounding and there was a persistent tickle in her throat that told her she was probably getting sick.

‘Edward?’ she asked, wincing as a throb shot through her temples.

‘I’m here,’ he murmured from beside the bed. He was sitting in the chair that had previously been pushed into the corner.

‘I thought you were going to wake me?’ The talking caused her to cough slightly, which didn’t help the tickle at all.

He sighed. ‘You needed the rest.’

With a sigh she reached a hand up to cradle her head. Edward moved suddenly to sit beside her on the bed. His cold hand wrapping around her forehead felt incredibly good. For a moment the pounding dulled.

‘Do you have a headache?’

She nodded and immediately regretted it as the pounding returned. ‘What’s wrong?’ she ground out between clenched teeth.

His hand slipped down to clutch her own. ‘You spiked a fever two hours ago. The man in front of us on the plane likely had the flu. Unfortunately, you seem to have caught it. It’s not surprising, with everything the last few days, that your immune system suffered. We hope it doesn’t get worse. You’re running about 102° right now.’

Her whole body ached along with the pounding in her head. She felt hot and sweaty and generally miserable.

‘Are we still leaving tomorrow?’

‘Yes. You’re in no condition to fly like this. It won’t be the most pleasant trip in the car, but we can take it slow; stop whenever you need. Hopefully your fever doesn’t worsen.’ He reached his hand back up to tuck a strand of sweat soaked hair behind her ear.

‘Where’s Carlisle?’ she asked softly.

‘Pharmacy. He should be back soon. Do you think you can manage some water?’ he asked. He leaned away from her to pick up a glass from the side table.

‘Okay,’ she whispered, afraid a louder sound would make her head worse.

He slid a hand under her neck and raised her just enough to take a few sips of cold water. ‘Enough,’ she groaned after a minute, coughing again. The first few coughs turned into a fit. Edward held her gently until they subsided, leaving Bella groaning in pain.

He smiled sadly. ‘Just rest, love. We’ll get you something to help in a minute.’ Edward began to softly comb her hair with his fingers.

Bella must have dozed, because the next thing she was aware of was Carlisle’s soft voice nudging her awake.

‘Bella, sweetheart, can you wake up? I need you to take these pills. It will help the headache.’

She blinked, dazed, into the dim light. It was almost too dark to see, but Bella was grateful for that. She could just make out the dull light reflecting off of Carlisle’s blond locks.

‘Bella?’ he asked again. ‘Can you tell me how you’re feeling dear?’

‘Head hurts. Bad,’ she winced. ‘Really bad. Everything aches. I’m really hot. Coughing hurts.’

‘I know. Those symptoms are typical of influenza. It will take a few days, but you will feel better.’ He laid a cool hand on her forehead and she moaned at the sudden relief. ‘Your fever is worse.’ Without asking again, he slid an arm behind her back to lift her slowly. ‘Open,’ he ordered. It hurt her head, but it was easier not to argue. She took the pills and then a few sips of water.

Bella was almost in tears by the time he laid her back against the pillows.

‘Shush, sweetheart,’ he comforted, laying his hand back on her forehead. It really did help. ‘The medication will start working soon. The best thing you can do is rest.’

‘Okay,’ she whispered, struggling to focus on his face.

The bed moved slightly and she turned to find Edward sitting down beside her. ‘Just rest, love. I’ll be here.’

Bella smiled softly. ‘Guess it’s good Carlisle’s here.’

‘Yes,’ Edward smiled gratefully across at his father. ‘Sleep, Bella.’

Her head was still pounding, but Edward’s comforting presence and Carlisle’s cold hand, helped.  


* * *

  
It felt like the middle of the night when she woke. The blackness was almost absolute, except for a vague sense of lesser darkness coming through the windows in the room below.

‘How are you feeling?’ Edward’s voice was pitched low and soothing.

‘Head’s a bit better,’ she mumbled, still waking up. ‘I’m thirsty.’

‘Here,’ he said, raising her enough to take a sip from the water glass. But she choked as the first drops hit her throat and weakly pushed the glass away. Edward waited patiently until the hacking had stopped before letting her take another sip. It helped her throat a bit.

‘It’s really hot,’ Bella complained, struggling to figure out where to look in the dark room. Finally she gave up and shut her eyes.

‘Your fever is still running high. It will probably be uncomfortable for a few days.’ She could practically hear the frown in his voice. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Not your fault,’ she protested. He was always blaming himself for the fact that she was human.

He shrugged, though she couldn’t see it. ‘Time for another dose of Tylenol.’ He slid a hand behind her back again. She took the pills with a bit more grace than last time, glad for anything that might ease the pain.

‘Sleep again. We’ll be leaving by dawn.’

‘Uh huh,’ was all she managed, already falling back to sleep.  


* * *

  
‘Bella, it’s time to go.’

She blinked, opening her eyes to find soft light filling the loft. Edward was sitting beside her.

‘We need to go,’ he repeated, brushing her sweat soaked hair off her forehead. ‘How is the headache?’

Bella took a moment to take stock of how she felt. The headache wasn’t gone, but her temples weren’t throbbing either. Her body still ached and she was still very hot, but chilled all at the same time. It was exceedingly unpleasant.

‘No worse,’ she answered honestly.

‘Alright,’ Edward said.

She struggled gradually into a sitting position, careful of her head. There was a bit of dizziness being upright, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

‘Can I change?’ Her clothes had been swapped for PJs in the night, but they were soaked through now.

Edward grabbed her bag and sorted through it until he found a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Ignoring her embarrassed flush, he helped her change into the clean outfit.

‘I need a human moment before we go,’ she begged.

‘Let me get you downstairs,’ he offered, lifting her gently into his arms before she could respond.

Downstairs, Carlisle was waiting on the sofa. ‘How are you, Bella?’ he rose to meet them.

‘I’m okay.’

He smiled knowingly. ‘I doubt that,’ but he let Edward carry her into the bathroom and set her down gently on the bench by the shower.

‘You can manage?’

She nodded slowly and he left her alone for a few minutes.

‘Edward?’ Bella called when she was done.

He opened the door. ‘Here,’ he handed over two more white pills and a bottle of water. She took them gratefully.

‘I’ve got water and food packed for you in the car. And an entire bottle of Tylenol, just in case. Are you ready to go?’

‘I guess.’ He lifted her again and carried her back into the main room. Carlisle helped him wrap her in a warm jacket she didn’t recognise. It was soft and comfortable and she couldn’t resist cuddling into it in his arms.

‘Alice hasn’t called again?’ Bella asked as they left the apartment.

Carlisle walked ahead to call the elevator.

‘Not yet,’ Edward answered.

They went down and out through the parking garage. In place of the silver Audi there was a sleek black Mercedes that looked, to Bella, identical to Carlisle’s car back home.

Edward settled her in the back seat. There were pillows and a mound of thick blankets waiting.

‘It’s not _that_ cold,’ Bella protested, wincing when her head gave a sudden throb.

‘Maybe not, but it is a long ride. We probably won’t be stopping at a hotel. See if you can find a comfortable position on top; I don’t want you overheating. You’re hot enough with the fever. Take the coat off too,’ he directed.

Grateful, she let Edward help her out of the thick fleece and then spent a few minutes making a nest, of sorts, in the back seat. Edward got in with her as she settled down.

‘Ready?’ Carlisle asked, once more at the wheel.

Bella nodded slowly. ‘Yes,’ Edward agreed.

The sedan had a smooth ride, even as they wended their way through Manhattan over sometimes bumpy roads. Bella soon fell into a light doze. She didn’t wake completely until they had left the city behind and – with the rising sun – sped on through Pennsylvania along the I-80 westward.

They had just passed into Ohio when Edward nudged her gently, whispering her name.

‘What?’ she asked; too confused to find her bed moving and in too much pain again to care. Her eyes hurt now when she tried to open them. Her throat tickled again and she tried desperately to hold it in, only half successful. It just made the pain everywhere so much worse.

The sun was nearly blinding, even through the blacked out windows. With a groan Bella attempted to bury herself further into the cocoon of blankets.

‘Bella?’ Edward tried again. His voice had an edge to it. It sounded worried.

‘Yeah?’ she tried again. Everything ached and her headache was back full force.

Edward put a cold hand on her burning forehead. She couldn’t hold back a moan of relief.

‘Bella, your fever is spiking. We’re going to stop at a clinic in Youngstown. They should be able to prescribe you an anti-viral. We can stay there for the afternoon; longer, if you need it. But we need to get your fever down.’

All of this sounded entirely too much to take in, considering that concentrating on anything other than how uncomfortable she was, was nearly impossible.

‘Bella, nod your head if you understand me,’ Edward told her slowly.

She nodded into her pillow in the hopes that he would stop talking and let her sleep.

But sleep proved impossible. Despite the Tylenol she had taken earlier, the pain was too constant to allow her tired body to doze off again.

Sometime later they pulled off the highway. She could feel it as the car slowed down smoothly. They turned a few corners and finally pulled to a stop.

‘I’ll be right back,’ she heard Carlisle say and wondered if it was for her benefit.

‘Bella,’ Edward said. ‘I need you to get up. I’d prefer you walked in to the clinic under your own power or they’re likely to send you straight to the hospital. Not that that wouldn’t be the best place for you right now, considering, but I have a feeling you’ll disagree.’

Bella put all the strength she had into sitting up and answering. Edward caught her gently as she swaged with the sudden change in position.

‘No hospital.’ Her voice sounded weak and broken and talking made her headache worse.

‘That’s what I thought,’ he smiled at her.

Bella blinked back tears through her red eyes. ‘Please make the pain stop,’ she begged.

‘Oh, love, I can’t stand seeing you like this.’ He leaned over to brush cold lips against her fevered brow. ‘You’re due for another dose of pain medication soon, I promise.’ She nodded miserably. ‘Carlisle’s coming back. Let’s go.’

It was a painful struggle to get out of the car and across the parking lot to the building. The florescent lighting inside made her want to cry, but Edward kept an arm locked around her so that she could bury her face in his cold shoulder.

‘Right this way,’ a new voice said. ‘It’s a good thing we aren’t busy this morning,’ the voice went on.

Carlisle muttered something non-committal and then Bella found herself being pressed into a hard plastic chair.

‘The doctor will be right with you,’ the female voice said again.

‘Thank you,’ Edward responded this time.

Bella struggled to keep her eyes open, squinting as much as possible to diffuse the harsh light.

‘Bella,’ Edward said from right beside her. She turned slowly to look at him. ‘I need to wait outside. Carlisle will stay with you, alright?’ he looked towards his father.

‘Okay,’ Bella acknowledge, though she desperately wanted to say no.

‘Just for a few minutes,’ he added and, kissing her forehead, disappeared out the exam room door.

Carlisle sat down in the matching plastic chair beside her and took her hand, squeezing gently. She managed to give him a small smile, glad of his presence if she couldn’t have Edward.

Another person entered the room. ‘Good morning,’ he said, too loudly. ‘I’m Dr. Stevenson. What can I do for you today?’

Carlisle didn’t let go of her hand as he greeted the other doctor. ‘Dr. Stevenson, I’m Dr. Cullen. This is my foster daughter, Marie.’ Bella blinked, confused. ‘If you wouldn’t mind taking a quick look at her. We’re on vacation, but she seems to have come down with quite a bad case of the flu. Her temperature is higher than I’d like.’

‘Of course; certainly. I’m sorry to hear it’s put a damper on your vacation. Marie,’ his voice turned towards her and thankfully it was softer now. Bella struggled to focus on the sound.

‘Yeah?’

‘Can you tell me how you’re feeling?’ Carlisle squeezed her hand encouragingly.

‘Hot,’ she admitted. ‘My head hurts...a lot. Everything else too. I’ve been coughing.’ She gave a slight cough in response to this and when her temples throbbed again, she winced. ‘My eyes started to ache this morning too.’

‘And when did you first notice the symptoms?’

Bella was grateful when Carlisle answered for her. She had no idea what time it was and wasn’t entirely positive of the day.

‘Late last night she developed the fever. It’s only worsened since then, as has the headache. The cough is mild, so far. She did receive a flu shot this year.’

‘It’s quite likely it’s making her symptoms milder than they normally would be. Alright Marie, I’m just going to take your temperature,’ Dr. Stevenson said.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut against the pain as she nodded, but she managed to sit still as he stuck a digital thermometer in her ear. The beep it made was far too loud.

‘103.6°. High enough to be quite uncomfortable. I’d like to take your blood pressure too and listen to your lungs, Marie. Make certain there’s no congestion.’

He seemed to be waiting patiently for her permission. Bella managed to nod. At least he didn’t want her to move and Carlisle stayed right beside her. The blood pressure cuff made her arm ache even more and the deep breathes Dr. Stevenson asked her to take when he listened to her lungs didn’t help her headache. At least it was all over in a few minutes.

‘The flu, I agree. I don’t think she’s bad enough to need admittance, but I’ll write you a prescription for Tamiflu. A few days on an anti-viral should help. What’s she taking for the headache?’ the doctor went on.

Bella heard the shuffling of paperwork and the scrape of the pen, but decided it wasn’t important enough to concentrate on.

‘Tylenol. Regular strength, but I’d like to increase it. It hasn’t been helping her headache much,’ Carlisle admitted.

‘Worth a try. Extra strength should help. Not as easy on the stomach, but it will be better for her head. I don’t hear any congestion in her lungs, which is a very good sign, considering. Keep an eye on her breathing; just in case, but if the cough doesn’t get worse, I think Marie has a fairly mild case.’

‘I agree,’ Carlisle said. ‘Thank you, Dr. Stevenson.’

‘I hope you feel better soon, Marie,’ the doctor said.

‘Thanks,’ Bella managed. A moment later the door opened.

‘We can go now,’ Carlisle whispered softly. ‘Edward’s in the waiting room.’ He helped her up slowly, keeping a tight hold as she struggled to balance. Edward took over as soon as they reached the receptionist’s desk and passed on through the sliding glass doors and out into the parking lot. The receptionist called a goodbye that only Carlisle returned.

‘There’s a pharmacy across the street. I’ll get this filled and then we can find a hotel for a few hours.’

‘Be quick,’ Edward said, unnecessarily, as he helped Bella back into the car. Carlisle didn’t respond, so he had probably already run off on the errand. Or he answered silently.

‘Just a little longer and you can lie down in a bed. The new medication will help. Can you drink a bit for me?’ his voice was cajoling, and Bella felt the lip of a water bottle pressed against her own lips. She managed a few sips. ‘You need to drink more; the fever’s dehydrating you.’

‘Later,’ she promised. Despite everything, she wasn’t terribly thirsty.

Edward was quiet while they waited, holding her gently, humming her lullaby almost under his breath. Bella was just starting to doze again when Carlisle returned.

Bella opened her eyes. He was standing in the open door of the backseat, opposite from Edward.

‘Here, Bella,’ he opened a foil packet containing a row of pills and popped out one tablet into Edward’s waiting hand. Bella took it without complaint. As well as the two bright red Tylenol he handed over next. She also managed a few more sips of water which seemed to please Edward and Carlisle both.

‘Just a few minutes to the hotel,’ Edward told her. She nodded slowly against his chest.

The car started moving and Bella closed her eyes tightly as they turned a few corners, seeming to retrace their footsteps and then came to a stop again.

‘We’re here,’ Edward said.

It was another slow process moving from the car into the hotel and then up to the room, but Carlisle took care of all the details and Edward didn’t make her wait long in the lobby, clutching onto him.

The bed felt like heaven when she sunk down onto the cool sheets. Edward lay down with her, wrapping her in his cold arms.

‘Need to bring your fever down,’ he said matter-of-factly and kissed her forehead.

Bella managed a grateful smile.  


* * *

  
Bella’s fever wasn’t down much when she woke in the late afternoon, but since Carlisle didn’t seem concerned about it, Edward finally agree that they could get back on the road.

The bed at the hotel had certainly been more comfortable, but Bella didn’t complain about lying in the backseat of the Merc in Edward’s arms, either. And the cold temperature of his skin was helping, even though it made her shiver sometimes with a chill. When this happened, Edward would pull a blanket between them until the shivering turned back to sweating.

Afternoon passed into evening and on through the night. The Tylenol helped her pounding headache and general achiness. Bella was able to sleep on and off. Edward woke her after dark for a brief stop and gave her another dose of medication.

‘What is it?’ she finally thought to ask.

‘You’ve heard of Tamiflu?’

Bella nodded. After the last few years, probably everyone in America had.

Edward smiled. ‘Honestly, it’s the best thing to treat influenza currently available. You’d be getting it even if you were in the hospital.’

‘How long before it works?’ she asked. It was really the most important question.

‘It already is.’ He leaned down to kiss her forehead. ‘It should shorten your symptoms by a day or two. By Sunday, you’ll feel better.’

‘Good,’ she muttered, already falling back asleep.

Carlisle got back in the car after filling the nearly empty gas tank. He and Edward exchanged a look and then the car was moving again.

Bella was already asleep in Edward’s arms as they drove passed Chicago.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 5**

By dawn they had passed through the eastern half of the country and were driving across the long stretch of North Dakota. Edward woke her when they pulled into Bismarck for gas.

‘Bella, sweetheart; its morning.’

It felt easier this time to struggle back to consciousness. The aches and pains were still there, but Bella didn’t feel quite as miserable.

As if in answer, Edward asked: ‘How do you feel?’

She smiled a little. ‘A bit better. Not as hot.’

‘Good,’ he smiled wider. ‘Your fever is down a degree or two. The medication is doing its job. Time for another dose,’ he held out the now familiar white and yellow pill. ‘Do you want more Tylenol?’

Bella shrugged. ‘Maybe the regular strength again, if there is any. The pain’s not so bad now.’

‘Good,’ he said again and retrieved a bottle from the bag at his feet.

Bella managed half the bottle of water this time too. Her thirst was back, now that she was slightly more aware of things. She coughed a bit on the last few sips, but was grateful when it didn’t turn  
into a full on choking fit.

‘Drink as much as you can,’ he told her.

‘Maybe later,’ she said and recapped the bottle, not wanting to tempt it.

The sun was just getting up, revealing the typical image of buildings on a street corner.

‘Where are we?’ she asked.

‘Bismarck, North Dakota. We’ve made good time. It’s about a ten hour run from here to Spokane. We’ll stop there for the night.’

‘Alice called?’

‘Yes, while you slept. Emmett got back to Phoenix and they’re on James’ trail. Alice saw him heading back to Washington. They’re following.’

‘That’s where we’re headed,’ Bella stated, confused.

‘Which is why we’re stopping in Spokane. By morning it will be safe to return to Forks,’ he smiled secretly at her.

‘By morn –. You mean we’re going to catch him?’

‘Yes,’ Edward assured her. ‘Alice has seen it now. Just after dawn tomorrow, on the border with Oregon, they’ll catch up. They’re driving and James is running.’

‘What about Victoria?’

Edward sighed. ‘We don’t know. She seems to have disappeared and Alice can’t see her. But she’s the lesser problem. We can deal with her once James is gone.’ He drew her back into his arms. ‘You don’t need to be afraid anymore.’

‘I never was,’ she half lied. ‘Not about them catching me. Just about you getting hurt. And my mom.’

Edward blinked at her, on the verge of annoyance at her attitude. ‘Bella – ’

‘Oh stop,’ she begged. ‘It’s nearly over now anyways.’

‘Yes,’ he glanced out the window. ‘Carlisle’s coming back. And he’s brought you a muffin. How does that sound? You haven’t eaten since Thursday.’

Bella pursed her lips, considering. ‘I’m not hungry.’ Edward frowned. ‘But maybe I can manage a bit.’

‘Good,’ he said as Carlisle opened the front door and climbed back into the car.

‘Good morning, Bella,’ he smiled cheerfully at her.

‘Morning,’ she answered back.

‘You seem to be feeling better.’ It was a veiled question.

Bella smiled. ‘Yes, a bit. My headache’s better and Edward says my fever’s down.’

Carlisle smiled back. ‘It is and I’m glad to hear the pain is more manageable. Do you think you can manage a bit of food?’

Bella nodded and reached out to take the paper bakery bag from his hand. Edward beat her to it.

‘Here,’ he said, opening the bad and pulling out a plain muffin. He broke off an edge of the muffin top – her favourite part – and handed it over.

Bella took a few experimental nibbles. Her stomach was telling her it wasn’t time to eat, but she didn’t feel nauseous either. She ate the rest of the piece and then the next one Edward handed her.

‘That’s a good start,’ he said. ‘See if that stay’s down. Then you can have the rest of it if you want.’ He put the rest of the muffin back in the bag.

‘Okay,’ Bella agreed.

‘Are you ready to go?’ Carlisle asked. She nodded.

‘If you need to stop, for any reason, just let Edward or myself know,’ Carlisle told her.

‘I promise,’ she agreed, knowing the underlying meaning. Hopefully, stopping wouldn’t be necessary.

It wasn’t. Bella managed the rest of the muffin, in small bites, half an hour later. Edward gave her a dazzling smile when she finished the last bite. It made her feel about five years old, even as it caused her breath to stop and her heart to skip.

‘Sorry,’ he muttered when she was breathing again. His smile implied that he wasn’t.

‘I don’t mind,’ Bella assured him. She really didn’t, even if the feeling of her heart stumbling over  
itself wasn’t exactly pleasant.

The sudden yawn interrupted further conversation.

‘You should sleep again. It will take most of the day to reach Spokane. We’ll try to find a hotel for the night. You can sleep in a proper bed again.’

She nestled herself further into his lap. ‘I _really_ don’t mind this bed,’ she assured him.

‘Either do I, but you’ll sleep better in a hotel. We can wait to hear from Alice. And by tomorrow morning you should be feeling better.’

‘That would be nice,’ she mumbled, already giving in to sleep.

His hand brushed her forehead and then his lips touched her hair. Both were cold and more than welcome.

‘Just sleep, my love,’ he whispered as she drifted off.  


* * *

  
They stopped for lunch in Montana. It was a small town that didn’t even boast a stop light. But there was a diner that served chicken noodle soup. Bella still wasn’t hungry, but the fact that the muffin had given her a little strength convinced her to give the soup a try.

Edward thought her fever was hovering around a hundred degrees, which meant the Tamiflu was working. It also meant her body aches were slowly fading and her headache was all but gone.

They sat at a corner booth, away from the windows. The clouds were intermittent and there was no point risking exposure for Edward.

As soon as they arrived, Carlisle announced he was dropping them off and would be back in an hour or so. Bella knew he needed to hunt. It had been more than a few days and her constant company meant that even _his_ eyes were starting to darken.

‘You should go too,’ she urged Edward. His eyes had been nearly black since the night before, the bruising under them a stark purple. It was probably causing him a fair bit of agony to be touching her all the time in the confines of the car.

‘I will,’ he promised.

The soup and a few slices of dry toast went down pretty well. Edward nursed a cup of coffee and tried not to look out of place in what was clearly a small ranching town. Bella was still too sick and tired to care about who was watching.

The cell rang as she was finishing her soup.

‘Alice,’ Edward mouthed his sister’s name.

They had a hurried and whispered conversation that Bella only caught a few words of.

‘What’s happening?’ she asked when he ended the call.

‘James must have found a way to contact Victoria or vice versa.’ Edward told her under his breath. Bella frowned. ‘Alice sees them meeting tonight. Victoria is headed down to meet James. Jasper, Alice and Emmett will meet them in Oregon around midnight.’

‘And? Edward, two against three isn’t very good odds.’

He cut her off. ‘It’s enough. James may be cunning, but I don’t think he’s terribly strong. He goes after weak prey for a reason.’

Edward stopped talking as the waitress came over to refill his mostly full coffee cup. Bella didn’t ask where the missing few sips had gone. She certainly hadn’t drunk them.

‘Thank you,’ Edward told her, his voice politely telling her they’d rather be left alone.

She gave him a lingering look as she walked back to the counter. Bella tried hard not to glare. It wouldn’t have been very threatening with her red eyes, unwashed straggly hair and flushed skin.

‘They’ll be fine,’ he finished. ‘Alice has seen it.’

‘That doesn’t mean I won’t worry about them. I couldn’t stand it if one of them got hurt because of me.’ The ‘or worse’ went unsaid.

‘It will be fine. And you’ll be safe again. Bella, any of us would do anything to keep you safe,’ he said sincerely.

‘Even Rosalie?’ she asked, sceptically.

Edward looked slightly embarrassed. ‘If I asked her to. She knows that it would hurt me if you were hurt.’

‘I really, really, hope it never comes to that,’ Bella admitted.

Edward sighed in agreement.

The bell over the door rang as Carlisle entered. He tossed Edward the Merc’s keys as he approached the table. The two quickly switched places.

‘Sun’s behind a rather large cloud. It will be safe if you hurry. I found good hunting south of town,’ Carlisle said out loud for Bella’s benefit.

Edward leaned down to kiss her forehead gently, cradling the back of her head. ‘See? I promised I’d go. I’ll be back soon. Listen to Carlisle,’ he pleaded.

She raised both eyebrows. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’

He just smiled at her and disappeared through the door, making the bell chime again. She saw the Merc pull out of the diner lot. Bella turned her gaze across the table to Carlisle.

His eyes were pale amber. ‘I prefer that colour,’ she gestured to them.

His mouth quirked. ‘So do I. Usually I don’t find it necessary to hunt so often, however...’ she nodded to show she understood. ‘The game here is remarkably good. We seldom find the need to travel this far east, but perhaps we should make the effort.’

Bella blinked at him. It was all stated so matter-of-factly that it took her slow brain a moment to rationalise the supermodel doctor calmly discussing vampire hunting practices across the table from  
her in the a diner in the middle of Nowhere USA.

She couldn’t help but laugh, but that just made her cough again.

Carlisle frowned, worried. ‘Bella, are you alright?’

‘Sorry,’ she giggled around the choking. ‘Must be the drugs. That just sounded faintly ridiculous, considering.’

A moment later Carlisle’s eyes twinkled as he thought about what he had just said and joined in the laughter.

‘In all seriousness, however, how _are_ you feeling, Bella?’

She shrugged. ‘Better, but not well. The food helped a bit. My headache’s gone, thankfully.’

‘I’m glad.’ He reached a hand across the table and Bella let him take hers. Though he didn’t need to, his fingers wrapped around her wrist in a practiced motion. ‘Fever is still steady. It might be another day or two before it passes completely, even with the medication. I’ll write the school a note for Monday.’

Bella protested immediately. ‘I’ve already missed a whole week! Besides, what am I going to tell Charlie?’

Carlisle smiled patiently. ‘Bella, you cannot go to school still running a fever. You’ll be contagious for a few days yet. And I’m certain Charlie will understand if, after a week on the move, you are too exhausted to go to classes. And you need not worry about the previous week; Esme has already taken care of it.’

Bella sighed, tired again. ‘Of course she has. Will you thank her for me?’

Carlisle nodded. ‘Of course.’ He still had her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘As soon as Edward is back you can sleep again. We have another four to five hours before we reach Spokane.’

Bella had already closed her eyes, fighting hard not to lay her head down on the diner’s table for a quick nap. She would be really happy when the constant lethargy was over.

She blinked her eyes open when she felt a slight shift in the air and Carlisle let go of her hand. He was suddenly sitting right beside her on the bench.

‘Close your eyes if it helps. I know I’m not Edward, but I hope this cold shoulder will do?’

Bella smiled tiredly at him. ‘Thanks.’

She leaned in against him and he raised an arm around her shoulder so that she could tuck herself in. He wasn’t quite Edward, it was true, but with her eyes closed his cold skin and comforting presence felt almost the same.

People were probably staring, but she didn’t care.

‘Sleep, Bella,’ he whispered. She felt him press a kiss into her hair and she smiled.

Bella dozed, but didn’t fall asleep completely. She heard the waitress come over and ask Carlisle if there was anything she could get him, clearing the dishes away when he declined.

‘Is she alright?’ the woman asked. She sounded like she was southerner. Not a native of Montana.

Bella was aware of Carlisle’s arm tightening around her shoulder.

‘We’ve been on the road for days,’ he explained, voice pitched low in order to not disturb his sleeping companion.

‘Where are you headed?’

Bella was just awake enough to be aware of Carlisle’s annoyance. No one else, including the waitress, would have been able to hear it in his clear ringing voice.

‘Back home to Seattle. We left New York. My son and I have been trading off the driving.’

Bella didn’t have her eyes open to see the waitress shoot them a look of sympathy. ‘Well, you’re nearly home now. You sure I can’t get you anything else? Something for your daughter for the road?’

Bella could feel Carlisle sigh against her. The annoyance was gone when he spoke again. Instead his voice was laced with gratitude. ‘Perhaps some ginger ale, in a bottle preferably. My daughter hasn’t been feeling well since yesterday.’

‘Of course. I’ve got a few bottles in the back. I’ll get one open for you. Get rid of a few of those bubbles. I’ll be right back,’ she said.

Carlisle laughed softly. ‘Sorry she woke you,’ he muttered, just above Bella’s head.

‘S’okay,’ Bella mumbled back, still not quite awake. ‘Thinks I’m your daughter,’ she grinned.

Above her, Carlisle smiled. ‘As much as my other children,’ he promised.

 _That_ woke her completely. She sat up straight so that she could stare at him. ‘I’ve known you for barely two months! Not even that long! Only a week really.’

‘Bella,’ his gaze was soft. ‘Anyone who makes my son happy deserves to be called my daughter. You’ve brought him to life. Esme and I are so grateful to you for that. And I think I’ve come to know you this last week. I know you love Edward. You’re already a part of this family.’

‘Thank you,’ Bella choked out, fighting back tears. ‘I already think of you as family too.’ She leaned over to hug him just as the door chimed.

Edward’s laugh greeted them as Carlisle released her. ‘I leave you for less than an hour,’ he smiled, ‘and you move on to the next vampire.’ This last word was almost a whisper, so that no one would overhear.

Bella shuffled closer on the bench to Carlisle. ‘You both feel pretty similar to me,’ she shrugged. She looked at Edward. ‘You can drive home. Carlisle will be my pillow.’

Both men burst out laughing at this comment, and even Bella managed a small giggle.

‘No deal,’ Edward said. ‘Ready to go?’

‘I need a human moment,’ she admitted. Carlisle helped her up; keeping a steadying hand out until he was certain she wasn’t going to stumble.

‘Thanks,’ she said, already used to the fact that there was now someone there to catch her before she fell.

When she came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Edward was there waiting for her. ‘This is for you,’ he handed over a plastic drink container with a straw. ‘Carol, the waitress, hopes you feel better soon.’

Bella glanced across the diner to where the waitress was talking to two truckers in the corner and smiled. ‘Thanks,’ she took the drink from Edward.

‘We’ll be in Spokane before dark,’ he told her as they headed outside. The cloud had drawn in and thickened. It was starting to look like rain. It was also turning cold, beginning to feel more like Forks.

They drove into the storm an hour later as they headed west under the wide open sky that was the I-90 through Montana. The clouds pulled down nearly to the road and the rain was coming down almost harder than the wipers could manage.

They passed trucks and a few cars pulled over on the side of the road, waiting for the weather to improve. Carlisle kept driving.

‘They don’t get tornadoes up here, do they?’ Bella asked from the safety of Edward’s arms. He was more likely to protect her in an accident than the Merc’s seatbelts and airbags.

It took Bella a moment to realise something was wrong. The car slowed so suddenly she felt the pressure pull her forward and then they hit gravel.

‘Edward what –?’

He was sitting up straight behind her so that he could see out the front windshield.

‘There’s an accident,’ he gestured forward.

Carlisle turned around and said something before pitching himself out of the car into the storm.

‘Bella, stay here. Promise me?’ he was almost begging.

‘Okay,’ her voice sounded quiet, afraid.

‘I’ll be right back,’ Edward said, disentangling his body from her and the blankets and following his father out into the driving rain.

The temperature was freezing as he opened the door and Bella suppressed a shiver. She strained forwards to see out the window, but her eyes couldn’t make out more than shadows a few dozen feet away.

A minute passed. Then another and then Edward appeared at the door again, his hair and clothes plastered against him.

He cracked the door open an inch so that they could talk. ‘There’s a car off the road about forty feet ahead. Carlisle saw the headlights. They probably hydroplaned with the water. It’s upside down. The children in the back are alright, but the mother isn’t. Carlisle’s with her. We called an ambulance, but they could take hours in this.’

Bella blinked at him. ‘Will she be alright?’

Edward sighed. ‘If we can get her to a hospital. I’m going to bring the children over. They’re cold and wet. The accident happened a while ago. I know you’re tired, Bella, but – ’

‘It’s okay. I’m fine. Get them out of this weather.’

Edward closed the door and nodded at her through the glass.

Another minute passed and then he was back, a child in each arm. They were probably only six and eight respectively. And clearly terrified.

Bella threw the door open and grabbed the younger boy as Edward pushed him inside. The flu had left her without much strength, but she managed to drag the child across her lap to the other side of the seat before turning back for the older girl.

‘Be back,’ Edward shouted over the wind and slammed the door.

Bella didn’t waste a minute. She pulled a blanket around each shivering child and clutched them to her. At least she was still running a bit hot and the car was warm. Both children were sobbing with the terror and shock of the situation.

‘It’s alright,’ she soothed. ‘It’s going to be alright.’

The young boy let out a loud sob. ‘Mommy’s hurt.’

Bella squeezed her eyes shut and lied. ‘I know. But it’s okay. My dad and brother are with her. They’re both doctors. We’ll get her to the hospital and she’ll be fine.’

They both huddled against her.

‘Where’s your dad?’ she asked.

The girl answered this time. ‘He’s working,’ her teeth were chattering so hard she could barely speak. ‘He drives trucks.’

‘Okay,’ Bella said. ‘We’ll find him.’ She knew it might be an empty promise. ‘Do you live near here?’ she tried a different question.

‘I think so,’ the girl answered again.

‘Okay. It’ll be okay,’ she repeated. Edward appeared through the rain, followed by Carlisle who climbed into the passenger seat. Edward handed over the unconscious woman in his arms to his father and raced around to the driver’s seat. He put the car in gear, using one hand to steer and the other to program the GPS to take them to the nearest hospital. Bella watched him and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one only fifteen minutes away. Edward gunned the Merc.

‘Carlisle?’ Bella asked, hesitantly.

He turned slightly to look at her. His voice was soft when he spoke, pitched low. ‘Broken collarbone and ribs. She’s bleeding internally.’

Bella cringed, biting her lip against making a sound that would frighten the children.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 6**

The drive passed in tense silence. The children finally stopped shivering with cold, but they were still clearly in a state of shock. Bella couldn’t really blame them. She held them close, thankful that they had come upon the car. Anyone else would have missed it in the driving rain. And even if they had managed to stop, what would the chances have been that anyone else could have provided the help Carlisle and Edward offered?

The rain was just beginning to lessen as they pulled into the hospital. Edward drove right to the emergency entrance. He was out of the car in a second, opening the passenger door and leading Carlisle and the woman into the ER. It was only a moment before he returned.

‘Let’s get them inside,’ he suggested.

Together, Bella and Edward shuffled the children through the sliding glass doors, still wrapped in blankets. It was veiled chaos inside. Clearly the accident they had stumbled upon was not the only one.

Edward found a free corner in the waiting room and urged Bella to sit. She pulled the young boy into her lap. The girl sat down numbly beside her.

‘We should introduce ourselves,’ Bella decided. ‘I’m Bella and this is Edward.’ She gestured to him. ‘What are your names?’

‘Kyle,’ the boy whispered, still crying. Bella turned to his sister, but she was staring straight ahead and had either not heard or wouldn’t answer.

‘She’s Tory,’ Kyle said.

‘It’s nice to meet you both,’ Bella managed, though it was hard to smile given the situation.

Carlisle appeared through the doors that led into the emergency room. He rushed over to them.

‘There have been nearly a dozen accidents brought in in the last hour. One of the doctors called in sick this morning and their Head of Surgery isn’t answering his phone.’

Edward sighed, glancing around him at the chaos with a look of defeat.

‘I’ve talked to the doctor that is here,’ Carlisle went on. ‘It took a bit of convincing, but he’s agreed to allow me to help. He’s not confident enough in his own experience to perform the surgery.’ He glanced down at Bella and the children. ‘I’ll be a couple of hours at least.’

‘Alright,’ Edward agreed.

‘We can manage,’ Bella assured him.

‘Good. I need to go. I spoke with the RN on duty. Edward, they’re severely understaffed. I told her you were third year med. They need the help,’ he went on when Edward opened his mouth to protest.

He hesitated another moment, giving Bella a long look. ‘Alright, I’ll be right there.’

‘Thank you,’ Carlisle said sincerely, clearing adding something else silently and then he was gone.

Edward turned to her. ‘I’m going to park the car.’

‘We’re fine,’ she assured him. He raced off.

Tory let out a sob. ‘Oh, sweetheart, you don’t need to worry. Your mom is in really good hands. Carlisle will help her, I promise.’ Bella really hoped that was true, but if anyone could save her, it would be Carlisle.

‘I’ll stay right here with you, as long as it takes.’

Kyle nodded against her chest. He seemed to be calmer than his sister. He was probably just young enough that most of the events happening around him he wasn’t really understanding.

Edward rushed back through the door, his hair once more dripping with water. ‘Bella, are you certain you can manage out here?’ He glanced at Kyle and Tory.

‘We’ll be fine. They need you. Please go help,’ she told him.

He smiled. ‘If you need anything, give my name to a nurse. I’ll try to find a quiet corner where you can wait. There’s probably another waiting room nearby.’ He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

‘Good luck,’ she told him, unsure of what else to say.

‘Thank you,’ he smiled again.

‘We’re going to be just fine,’ Bella assured the children when he was gone. ‘Just fine,’ she added again, for her own benefit.

The truth was, her body was still exhausted and now that she was sitting down, the adrenaline rush of the last half hour was fading. She was conscious of her headache returning. She felt hot and uncomfortable too. Her fever was probably worse.

Bella took a deep breath. There was no time to give into weakness. Kyle and Tory needed her to be strong. Edward and Carlisle were counting on her.

The minutes passed and Bella lost track of the afternoon waning towards evening. It might have been half an hour or a few hours later when a nurse appeared in front of her.

‘Are you Bella?’ she asked.

Bella blinked at her. ‘Yes?’ she coughed slightly and tried again. ‘Yes, I am.’

The nurse smiled tiredly at her. ‘Your brother sent me. There’s an empty exam room available. You and the children will be better off there. You look about dead on your own feet. Your brother said you were sick?’

Bella nodded. ‘Flu. I’m still really tired.’

‘You can lie down in the room. I’ll get you something to eat too.’

‘Thanks, but no to the food. I’m not hungry,’ she breathed. The nurse took over Kyle and Bella stumbled gratefully to her feet. She and Tory followed the woman into the busy emergency department and down a crowded hallway. She pushed open a door about half-way down. Inside it was dim, the lights off.

‘Why don’t you lie down?’ the nurse suggested to Bella, gesturing to the exam bed.

Despite Bella’s severe dislike of hospitals, even sleeping here sounded better than nothing. She lay down gratefully. ‘Will you stay with me, Kyle?’ she asked the boy.

He nodded quickly and the nurse settled him down in front of Bella on the narrow bed. There wasn’t much room, but Bella wrapped her right arm around him to keep him from rolling off. At this rate, he’d probably end up sick with the flu too. Smiling, the nurse quickly raised the bed rails.

‘Why don’t you sit right down here, honey,’ the woman said to Tory. The girl was still clearly upset, but she complied. ‘Alright, I’ll tell your brother you’re in here. I’ll check on you as soon as I can.’

‘Thank you,’ Bella told her with as much sincerity as she could manage.

‘Oh honey, don’t worry about it. Just get some rest.’

When she had closed the door quietly, cutting off the noise outside, Bella let out a grateful sigh. ‘Tory? Kyle? I don’t want you to worry, alright?’ She raised her head just enough to be able to see Tory over her brother’s head. ‘I’m really tired so I’m probably going to fall asleep. If you need anything I want you to wake me up, okay? Don’t try to leave, just wake me.’

Mutely, Tory nodded. ‘Kyle?’ Bella asked the boy in front of her. She felt him nod. ‘Good,’ she mumbled. Her headache was pounding again, but she was too tired to care.  


* * *

  
It was Edward’s cold hand on her forehead that woke her.

‘Hey,’ she greeted him.

He gave her a crooked smile. ‘Your fever’s up again. 102.4°.’ She blinked at him. ‘I checked,’ he said, waving a digital thermometer in his other hand.

Bella sighed. In front of her Kyle was sound asleep. Tory was curled up awkwardly in the corner hospital chair, asleep as well.

‘How’s the headache?’ Edward brought her focus back to him.

‘It could be worse,’ she admitted. ‘But not by much.’

‘I thought so.’ From nowhere he produced her evening dose of Tamiflu and two extra strength Tylenol.

‘Thanks,’ she breathed out, relieved.

He handed her the pills and turned to draw a glass of water from the room’s sink. He helped her up only enough to swallow the pills and most of the water.

‘What time is it?’ she asked when he had laid her down again. Kyle twitched against her, but settled.

‘Just after seven o’clock.’

‘The mother?’

Edward smiled. ‘Just out of surgery. Carlisle says she’s going to be fine. They’ve moved her to ICU for observation. Normally that would mean visitors aren’t allowed, but considering...I’ll take the children up to see her.’

Bella started to sit up. ‘No,’ he pushed her back down. ‘You’ve over done it today. You’re still ill, Bella, and you need rest. I’ll take the children. You stay here. I’ll check on you when I can. Another accident just came in so Carlisle’s back in the OR.’

‘Okay,’ she sighed. She was too tired to argue anyways.

‘Tory?’ Edward called. ‘Kyle?’ Tory stirred quietly in the chair and slowly unfolded herself from her curled position.

‘Where’s Mom?’ she asked.

Edward knelt down in front of her. ‘Tory, do you remember what happened?’ she nodded, though it was clear that she, like most normal humans, was uncomfortable this close to Edward. ‘Your Mom is going to be just fine. She’s sleeping right now, but I’m going to take you to see her, alright?’

Tory nodded hesitantly. It was clear she wanted to see her mom, but would rather Edward not be  
the one to take her.

Bella nudged Kyle gently. ‘Kyle, sweetheart, can you wake up?’

He sniffed and let out a soft whimper. ‘Kyle?’ she nudged again, rolling him slightly towards her.

He blinked up at her. ‘Mommy?’

Bella’s eyes crinkled as she smiled down at him. ‘No sweetheart, but Edward’s going to take you to see her, alright?’

He nodded up at her, his face lighting into a smile at the news. Clearly, Kyle didn’t mind Edward nearly as much as his sister.

‘Right then,’ Edward picked him up with ease. ‘Let’s go see Mom.’ He turned back to Bella at the door. ‘Just sleep, love,’ he smiled.

She nodded slowly, but regretted it as her head throbbed. Bella winced. ‘Yeah,’ she agreed verbally instead.

He cast a last worried glance at her as he carried Kyle out the door. Tory gave her a lingering look, obviously wishing Bella was the one going with them. Bella tried to suggest with a smile that everything was going to be okay, but Tory’s look didn’t soften.  


* * *

  
It was the nurse – this close up Bella could read that her ID said Irene – that woke her next.

‘How are you feeling dear?’ She asked.

Bella took a long moment to take stock of her body before replying. The constant napping was leaving her permanently fuzzy and just a little confused.

Irene waited patiently, obviously quite adept at dealing with patients. Bella tried not to think about the fact that, even though it wasn’t technically true, she was sick and in a hospital and therefore a _patient_.

She dragged out the moment by studying the nurse. She looked to be in her forties, an older woman but not yet going grey. And like she had been around the block a few times and knew the ins and outs of the hospital. And likely when a patient was lying too.

Bella settled on the stark truth. ‘Hot, achy, head is still pounding, tired and my eyes are hurting again.’ She rolled slowly onto her back. ‘Oh, and a little bit dizzy, but only when I move.’ She coughed slightly.

Irene smiled calmly down at her. She lifted the stethoscope that was hanging around her neck and silently asked permission.

‘Why not?’ Bella wondered out loud. Edward would do the same thing when he came back to check on her, just in a different way.

Irene, at least, was quick about it. ‘Your heart rate is high, but that’s probably the pain. Did you take something?’

‘Yes,’ Bella sighed. It should have been working too. ‘What time is it?’

‘Just after nine in the evening.’

‘Tylenol; about two hours ago. And I’m on Tamiflu too,’ she explained.

Irene nodded. ‘Your brother said. It takes a while to work, though. I don’t want to give you anything else without checking, but I’ll try to find your brother or father and tell them your head is still bothering you.’

‘Is – ’ she had started to say ‘Carlisle’ and caught herself. ‘Is my dad out of surgery yet?’ _That_ sounded strange to ask.

The nurse nodded. ‘I saw him a few minutes ago. Things have calmed down a bit,’ she glanced back towards the closed door. ‘The rain’s stopped too.’

‘That’s good,’ Bella admitted.

‘I’ll find your dad, okay?’

Carlisle was not the better of the two choices, but if he could get her something more for the pain, it would make up for it. She nodded, careful of her head. The pounding was tolerable as long as she didn’t move.

‘Be right back,’ Irene told her.

When she opened the door, Bella was aware of the lack of noise in the hallway. Hopefully the calm would last.

It was already nine o’clock. The others were supposed to catch up to James and Victoria in just a few hours. Bella really hoped the plan hadn’t changed.

She was just starting to drift off again when the door reopened. Carlisle was standing there, framed from behind by the hallway lights and for a moment Bella forgot how to breathe.

He shut the door immediately and raced to her side. ‘Bella?’

She took a deep breath, ignoring her stumbling heartbeat and managed to glare at him. ‘You have _both_ got to stop doing that,’ she complained.

Carlisle shot her a guilty look in the half-light of the room. ‘My apologies. It seems I am just as easily to blame as Edward.’

‘It’s okay,’ she admitted. It wasn’t as if she _minded_ , especially when it was Edward dazzling her.

‘Irene said your headache is still quite painful.’

‘Almost as bad as yesterday,’ she said. ‘Edward gave me extra strength Tylenol again, but it’s not helping at all.’

He laid a cold hand on her forehead. ‘Your fever isn’t helping. And you’re dehydrated, Bella.’ He looked at her seriously and it was only then that she realised he was no longer dressed in the clothes he had left New York in. In their place was a set of green scrubs. She’s never seen Carlisle in scrubs, but the look, paired with the hospital room around her set her on edge.

‘Bella,’ he cautioned as her heart rate increased. ‘Try to stay calm. I understand this is not your favourite place.’ He reached behind to pull up the chair that Tory had used and sat down. It helped to have him at eye level instead of hovering over her.

‘Thankfully, the ER has calmed down, but I’d like to stay here until morning in case of any further emergencies. You can sleep here for the night.’

Bella had a different opinion on that, but there was no point in voicing it. Edward would just agree with Carlisle anyways.

‘You are dehydrated enough I’d like to start an IV. The fluids will help with the headache as well, but I can give you something stronger than Tylenol. You should sleep through the night and be better for it come morning,’ he said in a voice Bella had heard him use on her at the hospital the day Edward had saved her life. It was a soothing, but clinical voice that Bella associated with doctors, whom she generally disliked.

She wanted Edward, but he was off in the ER playing doctor himself. Bella groaned in annoyance, but immediately stilled when Carlisle’s look turned worried.

‘Sorry, I’m just –’ a sudden catch in her throat made her start coughing. It _hurt_. When she could breathe again she finished, ‘...tired of being sick.’

‘I know. And I wish there was something I could do, but I’m afraid that time is the best healer.’

It was enough to make her smile. ‘That is such a _line_ ,’ she complained.

He smiled back. ‘But unfortunately true. The fluids will help,’ he repeated.

‘Fine,’ she gave in. She would lose the argument anyways.

‘I know you would prefer to have Edward here, but – ’

‘That could end badly,’ she finished for him. Bad enough that Edward had spent the last few hours surrounded by other bleeding people. Despite the fact he and Carlisle had fed earlier in the day, it was probably becoming an issue. There was no point in tempting him further. ‘It’s okay; I trust you,’ she assured Carlisle. And she did, despite the fact that the image of him in scrubs in _her_ hospital room was keeping her heart rate elevated.

He flicked on a small light in the corner behind her. It was enough to make her blink, but didn’t increase the headache. Bella tried not to watch closely as he gathered supplies from the shelves along one wall and returned to her side. In deference to the light, she squeezed her eyes shut so that she didn’t have to pretend not to watch.

He took her arm gently. Bella was wearing only the t-shirt and sweats that Edward had dressed her in in the Manhattan loft 2600 miles earlier. She tried not to flinch when cold alcohol touched the crook of her elbow. She was just a little bit relieved he wasn’t using her hand.

‘Just a pinch, sweetheart. Keep breathing,’ Carlisle instructed. Despite everything, it made her smile.

Bella focused on breathing through her mouth. It was only a small pinch; the barest flicker of pain compared to her head and a moment later she felt him taping the needle in place, careful not to jostle it.

‘Bella?’ he asked. She opened her eyes carefully, avoiding the light behind her. He was sitting in the chair again. There was a bag of clear fluid hanging from the stand beside her. She followed the tubing down to her arm and then quickly looked away.

‘Thanks,’ she told him, not sure exactly what part she was thanking him for.

He grasped her hand gently, rubbing a thumb across the back of it. It was a motion meant to comfort. It worked.

‘I promise you aren’t the worst patient I’ve had.’

‘That’s good to know,’ she agreed, wondering if that was his way of telling her that he didn’t mind treating his son’s trouble magnet girlfriend.

‘I’ll be right back,’ he squeezed her hand lightly. ‘I’m going to get you something for the headache and find Edward. It is quiet enough now I think he can be spared to sit with you.’

‘Thanks,’ she told him again as he retreated to the door. ‘For everything this week. But really for accepting me,’ she admitted.

‘Oh, Bella,’ he returned to her side to smile down at her. ‘I suppose Esme and I haven’t found the right moment, and it is a bit delayed now, but we are happy to count you as a part of our family.’ He leaned down to kiss her forehead like Edward often did. ‘We will welcome you properly when all of this is over.’

‘That means a lot to me. I know it’s not the easiest thing and I’m not...the best choice for him.’

‘Nonsense,’ Carlisle admonished. ‘You are perfect for him Bella. Don’t ever think differently.’

That was easier said than done. ‘I’ll try, especially after this week. How much all of you have done for me...for us.’

Carlisle smiled. ‘That is what families do for each other and you _are_ family.’ He stepped back, clearly ending the conversation, though it had left Bella feeling calm and happy inside. ‘Just rest, Bella. I will be right back.’

She nodded her understanding as he opened the door.

But it was Edward, and not Carlisle, who returned a few minutes later. Bella smiled just seeing him. Unknowingly, he copied his father’s motion of kissing her forehead, his hand lingering on her sweat soaked brow. To Bella, the cold was a blessed relief.

‘That feels good,’ she told him.

‘This will feel better,’ he held up a syringe containing a clear drug. For once, Bella didn’t care as long as it allowed her a pain free night.

She nodded to give him the permission he was obviously waiting for. The analgesic spread through her system quickly, dulling the pain and increasing the fuzzy feeling that had been plaguing her.

Edward dumped the empty syringe in a container across the room and returned to sit at her side.

Bella struggled to keep her eyes open a few minutes longer. ‘How are Kyle and Tory and their mother?’

‘Managing,’ he gave her a small smile. ‘One of the ICU nurses managed to get a bit more out of Tory, but they haven’t been able to reach the father. Both of the children were asleep the last time I checked.’ He took her hand and started caressing it. It made her even sleepier. ‘The mother, Kelly, will be fine. She regained consciousness about half an hour ago. It will be at least a week before she’s released, but she will make a complete recovery.’

Bella smiled proudly at him. ‘Thanks to you.’

‘Thanks to Carlisle,’ he corrected.

‘Alright,’ she admitted, ‘thanks to you both.’ She couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.

‘I know you must be tired of this, but just rest. We’ll leave again in the morning.’

‘Alice?’ Bella managed to ask.

‘Not yet, but soon,’ he promised. ‘I will tell you all about it in the morning. Just sleep. Get better. I hate seeing you like this.’ He brushed her hair back behind her ears in a practiced motion.

‘Me too,’ she mumbled in agreement. A minute later Bella was asleep.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 7**

Though Bella was unwilling to admit it, she felt a great deal better in the morning. The IV was gone, only a small bandage to cover the spot it had been. Edward was sitting beside her.

‘Good morning,’ he greeted her.

‘Morning,’ she managed back. Her throat felt really dry and she coughed a bit to clear it.

‘Your fever broke. How is the pain?’

Bella took a moment to think about that. ‘Better. Headache is gone. Aches feel better too.’

‘Good,’ he told her. ‘You slept for nine hours.’

Her brain finally kicked into full gear. ‘Alice?!’

‘Calm down,’ he soothed. ‘It’s over Bella.’ The relief in his voice assured her it had all gone well too. ‘James is gone. Jasper, Alice and Emmett are fine.’ He seemed to flinch slightly. ‘Victoria got away, but they’re tracking her and Alice doesn’t see her returning to Forks. It’s safe to go home,’ he promised.

‘Finally,’ Bella sighed in a half sob. It had been such a long week since last Sunday. A long, emotional, terrifying week. She was so glad it was over.

Edward suddenly kissed her hard. Bella let out a soft exclamation, but kissed him back quickly in case he changed his mind.

Carlisle interrupted them before Edward could pull away. He cleared his throat politely from the doorway when it was clear his son hadn’t heart his silent call. Edward broke away from her, looking chagrined. Bella flushed in embarrassment. Part of the family or not, it was still weird to have her boyfriend’s father catch them kissing.

‘We can leave whenever you’re ready, Bella. It’s nice to see you looking better this morning.’

Bella smiled at him. ‘It’s nice to _feel_ better.’

‘I’ll leave you to it,’ he announced, shutting the door behind him. She noticed he’d changed again, back into his own clothes.

Bella laughed. Edward joined in. ‘I’ve got your bag,’ he gestured down to the floor at his feet. ‘You’ll feel even better after you change. Are you hungry? We can stop on the way.’

‘Yeah, that sounds good. Just give me a few minutes. Bathroom?’ she asked.

‘I’ll show you.’ Edward helped her up into a sitting position. Bella was pleasantly surprised to find the constant dizziness was gone.

She stumbled a bit standing up, her legs still weak after everything, but Edward kept a strong arm around her as he picked up her bag and led her into the hall. The washroom was only a few dozen steps away. The bright lights didn’t bother her and it felt good to be out of the hospital room. It would feel even better to reach home that afternoon.

The hospital was quiet, especially in contrast to the previous day. ‘It’s still early, right?’ Bella asked.

Edward nodded beside her. ‘Yes, it’s just after seven.’ He answered the unspoken question. ‘We’ll have you home for dinner, in your own truck, and with Charlie none the wiser.’

‘That’s all that matters.’

They parted ways at the door. Bella took a few minutes to clean herself up. Teeth and hair brushed and clean clothes drastically improved how she felt. She was still tired and a bit weak, but hopefully Charlie would attribute that to her well crafted lie.

‘Ready,’ Bella announced when she left the washroom.

They didn’t run into many people on the way out. Edward said goodbye to a couple of nursing staff, but Bella didn’t see Irene. She had wanted to thank the woman. Perhaps they could do something for the hospital when they returned to Forks.

Outside the sky was still overcast, but the ground was drying. Carlisle was waiting with the car.

‘Hungry?’ he asked.

Bella nodded. ‘Surprisingly, yes.’

He handed over a paper bag with a smile. ‘From Irene, though she apologises that it’s from the hospital café.’

‘Oh, I wanted to thank her,’ she took the bag.

‘She knows,’ Carlisle promised.

It only took a few minutes to leave the town and get back on the interstate. Bella munched her way through the bagel and juice, not caring at all about the taste, or the Tamiflu Edward held out for her.

‘Since you’re eating again, you’ll want to take this with food. Avoid any unpleasant side effects.’

‘Lovely,’ she said and took the advice.

She was awake and aware enough now to watch the scenery passing by. It was her first time in any northern state besides Washington. Montana was as wide open and wild as she expected, but it reminded her of Arizona too, in a way. The mile after mile of nothingness felt comforting.

Bella slept after a while, lacking anything else to do, her head pillowed on Edward’s cold shoulder.

They stopped in Spokane for gas and to allow Bella a human moment. She was hungry enough to pick out a sandwich from the convenience store attached to the station. The food was enough to keep her awake for the last two hours of the trip. They took the south route around the bay and headed towards Olympia. It was early afternoon and a light rain was falling.

‘It’s been a long week,’ Edward said suddenly.

She turned her gaze from the tree-lined highway to look at him. ‘The longest of my life, I think. Hopefully the longest ever.’

‘For me as well,’ he agreed. He pulled her to him, clutching her tightly enough for a brief moment that Bella worried about bruises. ‘I’ve been so worried about you. About what I would do to keep you safe and what I would do if I couldn’t.’ His eyes were closed and if he had been human he would have been fighting tears.

‘It’s over. I’m safe. You’re safe. You don’t have to think about that. Please stop thinking about that,’ she pleaded. It sounded morbid and worrying and Bella was on the edge of tears herself. The week had been too much for human emotions to deal with and only now – with the end in sight – was her mind starting to make sense of it all, or at least try to.

‘Yes, you’re right. You’re _both_ right,’ he gave Carlisle a look.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. Bella let out a relieved moan as they passed by the Welcome to Forks sign on the south side of town. She gave the road to her house a lingering look as they went by, knowing she would be there soon enough.

It was raining harder by the time they reached the Cullen’s house. Alice was standing on the sheltered porch, waiting. Bella all but flew into her arms.

‘I was so _worried_ ,’ she told the pixie.

Alice hugged her back. ‘There was never anything to worry about. But I’m really glad you’re feeling better.’

‘Me too,’ Bella admitted with a laugh. ‘Is everyone home?’

Alice shook her head. ‘Emmett and Jasper are out on a proper hunt.’ She turned to her brother. ‘They want you to join them.’

Edward looked torn.

‘Oh go; you need to. Your eyes are almost black again after yesterday at the hospital. I’ll be fine, Edward. Just go,’ Bella told him.

‘Alright. I’ll see you tonight.’ He gave her a quick kiss and raced off towards the river.

‘Esme and Rosalie are inside,’ Alice told her, pulling her towards the door.

‘I need to check in at the hospital,’ Carlisle interrupted. He held out his hand with the packet of Tamiflu. ‘Twice a day until they are gone. If your fever returns, call me immediately, if Edward isn’t with you.’

‘Alright,’ she nodded. ‘Carlisle?’ her voice stopped him just as he reached the borrowed car. ‘Thank you.’

He smiled wide enough to make her heart skip a beat. ‘You’re most welcome, Bella.’

Alice tugged on her arm again. ‘Come on; you could use a shower and food. And I’ve got your clothes we bought for you!’

Bella groaned loudly. ‘Please Alice,’ she begged, ‘not today. I just can’t.’

‘I didn’t say you had to model them, but we’ll get you looking a bit better so that Charlie doesn’t ask questions. You’ll be home in time for dinner, I promise!’

Bella sighed in a resigned tone. If it kept Charlie unaware of what had transpired the last week, it might just be worth it. Bella was too tired to think up more lies and was having a hard enough time remembering exactly what she had told him in the car on the way to New York.

And she really wanted a shower.  


* * *

  
Rosalie had done something to the truck to make it sound even louder. There was also an annoying rattling sound coming from somewhere in the engine. Bella had no doubt it was safe, but it was going to drive her mad if she couldn’t get it repaired quickly and with Charlie’s complete knowledge.

Bella had been a bit surprised when Edward’s blond-haired sister had explained what she’d done to the Chevy. If anything had come out of the week it was that Rose seemed to have accepted Bella as part of the family. Even if she still wasn’t being particularly friendly. At least she had been civil.

The noise was certainly loud enough to bring Charlie to the door.

It was late afternoon, the sun behind the rain clouds dipping down towards sunset. The rain made it seem darker, more like evening, although the raindrops were light.

Alice had made certain Bella had taken a long, soothing bubble bath, followed by a hair styling and – despite further protests – a make-up session. The clothes they had purchased in California were no match for spring weather in Forks, so Alice had dressed her in a pair of jeans and a sweater that were both plain enough to look like Bella’s clothes. Bella had her own bag and purse from when she’d fled the house the weekend before, and the packet of flu meds was hidden in her jeans pocket. She’d have to hide them from Charlie. There were some things he was just better off not knowing.

Charlie met her halfway to the house, crushing her in a hug that pressed on the bruises Edward had inadvertently given her earlier.

‘Hey dad,’ she greeted him.

‘God, am I glad you’re back, Bells. You had me worried. And that truck sounds like it’s on its last legs.’

‘Not quite. It’s fixable.’ She looked at him as they reached the shelter of the front door. ‘Dad, I’m _really_ sorry.’

‘Yeah, Bells, I know. And hey, I’ve been sort of waiting for you to do something like this. You’re a teenager, after all. I’m just glad you’re back. I thought...you’d be moving to Jacksonville.’ Charlie looked hesitant.

Bella blinked. ‘Not a chance, dad,’ she let out a small laugh. ‘It’s too sunny. Besides, I like it here. Maybe I’m just too much like my dad.’

Charlie’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, half-embarrassed by the compliment and apology combined.

‘Well, I should get dinner ready,’ Bella broke the moment. ‘Is there anything left in the fridge or do I need to run to the store?’

‘No cooking tonight, Bells. We’ll order pizza. There’s a ball game on anyways. Maybe you want to watch it?’ He was giving her a look that told her it wasn’t really a question. He wanted to keep an eye on her for a bit.

She really didn’t want to, but if it got Charlie away from asking questions about her trip, she’d watch every second of it and even pretend to enjoy it.

‘Sounds great, dad,’ she agreed.

Charlie beamed. Clearly she had been forgiven for everything, at least as long as he never found out the truth.

The game, thankfully, ended earlier than she expected. She’d only managed a single slice of pizza. Her stomach was not something she wanted to test with greasy food after so many days without eating much. Charlie was pretty used to her small appetite and didn’t comment.

Bella had just crawled under the covers when Edward appeared at the window. She’d left it open for him.

‘Hey,’ she said when he closed the window behind him.

Edward smiled. ‘How was Charlie?’

‘Surprisingly alright. We had pizza and watched baseball. He seems to have forgiven me.’

‘I did tell you. He’s your father, Bella, of course he would. Did he ask many questions?’ He lay down on the bed beside her and she cuddled against him.

‘Charlie? Not a chance. He didn’t ask anything,’ she admitted.

Edward looked smug. ‘Did you take your medication?’

She sighed, exasperated at being treated like a child, especially now that she was on the mend. ‘Yes, Edward. I’m not likely to forget. I don’t want to get sick again.’

‘I guess not.’ He gave her a long look that imitated his father so strongly that Bella burst out in choked laughter. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘You looked exactly like Carlisle just now.’

Edward’s brows drew together and then he smiled. ‘Thank you. That is...rather a large compliment.’

Bella smiled back, toying with his shirt. ‘Have you thought about things after yesterday?’ she hesitated.

‘Things?’ Edward responded to her cryptic question. ‘Things such as going back to medical school?’

‘Yes?’

‘I have, actually. Carlisle and I talked when he returned from the hospital. Everything is alright there, in case you were wondering,’ he added.

‘I was. I didn’t want him to get in trouble over me.’

‘It’s fine. He’s remarkably indispensable and they know it.’ Bella nodded against him, relieved. ‘In answer to your previous question though, I may consider it. It was surprised how easy it was in the rush of things to ignore all the blood. I’ve always admired how Carlisle manages it, but I realise now that quite a large part of that is because he focuses on helping the patient. Everything else, including the thirst I felt, became secondary. Returning for another degree is worth consideration. Maybe after we leave here,’ she felt him shrug.

Bella looked up at him. ‘Leave? When are you leaving?’

‘Not yet,’ he calmed her. ‘I have to finish high school first. But we will leave; in a year or two. Emmett and Rosalie are going to ‘college’ this year. It’s expected that Alice and I and Jasper will go away next year, after we graduate. It’s reaching a point where people will start to wonder why Carlisle looks so young. We’ve been here two years...’ he trailed off, seeing the worry on her face. ‘Don’t worry, Bella. Next year you’ll be leaving for college or university too. We can find a school we both like.’

She blinked at him, trying to keep up. ‘We can go together?’

Edward frowned. ‘Don’t you want that?’

‘Yes!’ she exclaimed a little too loudly. She winced when a groan came from Charlie’s room, but sighed in relief when no other sounds followed.

‘Then don’t worry about anything. We can think about universities in the fall.’

‘Like I’d get in,’ she snorted.

‘Oh, you’d be surprised. We’ll find somewhere. There’s a long list of schools with decent medical programs that neither Carlisle nor I have already graduated from. The east coast might be a nice change. Esme has wanted to move to New England for years.’

‘New England would be nice,’ Bella agreed. As long as she was with Edward, _anywhere_ would be nice.

‘Don’t think about it now,’ he kissed her hair. ‘You should sleep. Did you tell Charlie you weren’t going to school tomorrow?’

‘With Charlie, it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission. He probably won’t even notice since he’ll be at work all day. Carlisle said he’d take care of it.’

Edward nodded. ‘You’ll have a note for Tuesday and Esme already called the school last week about all of us.’

‘What exactly did she say?’ Bella wondered.

‘Extended camping trip. We invited you along. Shame you got sick at the end of it,’ he smiled.

‘Yes, it is. Thanks. I mean it: for everything.’

‘Bella,’ he sounded annoyed. ‘None of this would have happened if I was more careful. I put you in danger,’ he hissed.

‘Maybe. Maybe not. James probably would have found another victim if he hadn’t picked me in the field. We can’t know, so stop assuming it would have been alright if I hadn’t come with you that night. _You_ ,’ she emphasised, ‘can’t know the future. Even Alice didn’t see. But I’m alright and so is everyone else. I’m safe and that is because of you and your family.’ Bella gave him a hard look. ‘Stop blaming yourself, Edward. Promise me?’

He seemed unhappy to do so, but as she continued to glare at him he relented. ‘Alright, I promise.’

‘Good.’

‘Now that we’ve settled that, will you please try to sleep?’

‘Yes. I’ll try. It does feel nice to be in my own bed for a change. With you here.’ She let out a sudden yawn.

‘Sleep,’ he told her again.

She smiled into his chest. ‘Alright, you made your point. I’ll shut up.’

‘Only if you try to sleep too,’ he added.

‘I don’t really think I have a choice,’ she muttered.

‘Not this time,’ Edward whispered back; aware that despite her protests she was quickly falling asleep anyways.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 8**

Charlie was, as usual, already gone to work by the time Bella woke up. Edward was sitting in the chair at her desk instead of lying beside her.

‘You were getting cold,’ he said, by way of greeting.

‘Oh. I guess I’m really not running a fever anymore.’

He smiled, clearly relieved. ‘No. How are you feeling besides that?’

Bella really hoped this was the last morning she would have to deal with that question.

‘Better. Maybe a bit tired still, but nothing hurts anymore.’

‘Good. What would you like for breakfast?’

‘Um,’ she started and then stopped, considering. ‘Probably just cereal; I doubt there’s much else in the fridge since I’ve been gone.’

Edward smiled secretly. ‘I’ve an easy solution to that.’

Bello narrowed her eyes, having an idea where this might be headed. ‘Okay. Should I play along?’

Edward shrugged. ‘It would make this easier.’

‘Okay. I feel like pancakes with strawberry syrup.’

He smiled winningly. ‘Done. Let me just call Esme. We can leave as soon as you’re dressed.’

Esme. She’d been right to assume he meant breakfast at his house. It was also easier not to argue. ‘I’ll get dressed then,’ she suggested. He left her with a smile to call home.

Bella’s room was exactly as she had left it: an organised attempt at chaos. She managed to find clean jeans and – noting the rain outside – a sweater. Edward was right; she did feel a bit chilled. Hopefully it was just a sign that she was not quite well and not that she was sickening with something else.

Edward was waiting for her downstairs. ‘Pancakes and strawberry syrup wait.’

‘What if Charlie comes home early?’

Edward sighed. ‘I’ll have Alice keep watch. Do you have your meds?’

‘In my pocket.’

‘Good.’

‘How are we getting there? I can drive,’ she offered.

‘Alice is picking us up. You can hear that truck a mile off. Not exactly subtle when we’re trying to avoid Charlie,’ he explained.

‘Yeah. I guess not. Is Alice –?’ she never finished the sentence as Edward’s Volvo pulled up to the curb.

Alice greeted them. ‘Hey Bella! Are you feeling better? Esme’s got breakfast for you. And I’ve got a surprise.’

Bella groaned as she got into the back seat. ‘No surprises Alice.’

‘Oh, let me have my fun.’

‘Alice,’ Edward warned. ‘She’s still ill. Go easy.’

‘But she won’t have to _do_ anything!’ He continued to glare at her. ‘Oh, alright, ruin my fun. We’ll just have to find something else to entertain you for the afternoon.’

That could end badly, Bella thought, but it was unlikely Edward would allow his sister to get too carried away.

Although, on that topic, Bella wasn’t certain that even Edward could control his pixie sister’s bubbly nature. Bella would just have to learn to accept Alice for who she was. It was probably amazing that she could _be_ so outgoing, considering.

Bella had no idea how Esme had managed to make her favourite guilty breakfast barely half an hour after Edward had called. They would have needed to run to the store; at least for the strawberry syrup. But maybe Alice had seen further ahead and Edward had fibbed about the phone call. Either way, the Cullen’s house smelled delicious when Bella walked through the door.

In the kitchen, Esme was in full cooking mode. The kitchen island was already set with a single place and there was juice and a bowl of fresh fruit ready.

‘Bella!’ Esme exclaimed when they entered. She rushed over to give her a hug, spatula still in hand.

‘You really didn’t have to do this,’ Bella told her.

‘Nonsense!’ Esme argued. ‘I don’t mind one bit and I’m actually enjoying this cooking thing. I haven’t done it in years!’ She busied herself back at the stove in time to flip over another pancake.

‘Well, thanks,’ Bella told her sincerely. It was nice to be mothered, instead of being the one doing the mothering...or cooking.

Esme dished out two already cooked pancakes onto Bella’s waiting plate as she sat down on the counter stool. Edward sat down beside her, obviously intending to watch.

‘You eat as much or as little as you want, dear. Carlisle said you might not be terribly hungry,’ she added.

Of course he had. ‘I’m hungry enough,’ Bella admitted.

There was indeed strawberry syrup in a small jug next to her plate. Bella poured out a liberal amount on top of the pancakes and dug in, deciding they smelled too good to care who was watching.

She was half-way through the plate – and contemplating asking for more – when Carlisle’s voice interrupted.

‘I’m glad to see you’re hungry.’

She levelled a look at him, taking another mouthful and swallowing it before she replied. ‘Even I can’t go three days with nothing to eat and not want to make up for it.’

‘Good,’ he agreed and Bella realised she wasn’t going to get a lecture on the health value of strawberry syrup drenched pancakes.

‘If only you knew how good these tasted,’ she all but moaned around the next bite.

Beside her, Edward sat watching, entranced.

‘I’ll take your word on that, Bella. As long as you are enjoying them,’ Carlisle relented from his place beside Esme.

It suddenly struck Bella as an altogether bizarre situation. She abruptly put down her fork and burst out laughing.

‘What’s wrong?’ Edward asked immediately.

She just grinned at him, continuing to laugh.

‘Alice,’ Edward turned to his sister, ‘is she alright?’

Alice looked at him as if he were stupid. ‘She’s laughing; of course she’s alright.’

‘What is so amusing?’ Edward asked and Bella finally found the breath to answer.

‘Seriously? I’m discussing the merits of strawberry pancakes in a kitchen full of vampires. It’s _not_ funny?’

Alice grinned.

‘When you put it that way,’ Edward admitted. ‘I can see your point.’ And he started laughing himself.

‘Hey, what am I missing?’ Emmett’s booming voice interrupted next. ‘Is Bella being intentionally funny?’

‘Very,’ Edward said dryly.

‘You gotta tell me when you’re going to do something funny, girl! I want to see it.’

 

Bella continued to laugh. ‘I’ll try to remember next time, Emmett; sorry.’

‘Naw, that’s alright,’ he shrugged it off. ‘I’m sure you’ll have lots of chances, since you’re sticking around.’

‘Lots and lots,’ Bella promised and went back to eating. All she needed now was for Jasper and Rosalie to show up and then all seven Cullens could entertain themselves watching their human eat.

 _Their_ human, she though. But that was what she was, wasn’t it? Hadn’t James and Laurent implied that? The human they kept around for food. Even if that wasn’t true, she was still part of the Cullen family now. And if that was true, then she was as much their human as they were her vampires.

As soon as her plate was empty Esme forked over another two pancakes. Bella smiled her thanks and drowned them in more syrup. She ate a bit slower, starting to get full and really not wanting to make herself sick.

By her fourth bite, Emmett got bored and disappeared out of the kitchen. Esme and Carlisle finished a quiet conversation and Carlisle announced he had to work.

Esme busied herself cleaning up, sticking to human speed to remain occupied. Alice seemed to be bored, obviously anxious to get to whatever part of the planned surprise Edward was going to allow her to get away with.

Bella dragged it out as long as possible, but finally had to admit she couldn’t eat another bite. Esme cleared the plates with a small smile, obviously happy Bella had eaten as much as she had.

‘Done?’ Alice asked with entirely too much enthusiasm.

Bella looked pleadingly at Edward. He shrugged apathetically.

‘Some protection you are,’ she muttered.

‘Only when it’s your life at risk. My sister? Doesn’t count.’

Bella sighed and in a voice that suggested she was off to her execution, said: ‘let’s just get this over with.’

Alice clapped her hands in glee and dragged Bella out of the room. She threw Edward one last pleading look of misery, which he answered with a smile.

‘Damn vampires,’ Bella muttered, knowing Alice and probably Edward too, would hear.

Bella had been treated to Alice’s massive bathroom the night before. It fit Alice’s personality well; all carefully crafted lines, pleasing to the eye, beautiful despite the use of granite and tile. The towels were fluffy. The soft rug on the floor was squishy under her feet. The lights were calming and it did, Bella admitted, smell wonderful.

‘You need a haircut,’ Alice announced as soon as she had shut the door behind them.

‘Alice, no, it’s fine,’ Bella protested, backing away a step.

‘Oh, come on, I’m not going to do anything dramatic. But you have split ends galore. Just let me trim it, please?’

How exactly a-who-knew-how-old vampire managed to make puppy dog eyes, Bella wasn’t sure. It seemed to be Alice’s version of dazzling.

‘ _Just_ a trim,’ Bella relented. Alice was probably right anyways.

‘Yes!’ she practically vibrated with excitement.

An hour later, Bella had to admit that the cut – and subsequent style – did look good. Her hair felt softer and it waved around her face in a way she had never managed to achieve herself.

‘Now,’ Alice started after she had given Bella a moment to admire her hair in the wide vanity mirror. ‘You could really use a manicure. And a pedicure.’

Bella sighed in defeat. She could deal with that.

It did feel nice, being a little bit pampered after a week on the road, bouncing between protectors, cars and planes. Alice hummed quietly and after a while Bella realised it was the music Edward had written for her. It was calming and relaxing and Bella found herself drifting as Alice treated, first her fingernails, and then her toes. Thankfully, the vampire pixie didn’t go beyond a clear colour of nail polish.

The morning slipped by as Alice worked along at human speed, knowing Bella needed some TLC just as much as she needed the time to relax and process everything. It had been Esme that had suggested it the night before after seeing the state Edward and Carlisle had returned her in. Even knowing Bella was suffering from a bout of flu, Alice had been frankly horrified to see the human.

‘Face next,’ Alice explained after the pedicure. Before Bella could protest she held up a silencing hand. ‘No make-up, I promise. But you could use a facial.’

That Bella happily relented to. And it did feel wonderful.

Alice was just finishing up and contemplating carrying a half asleep Bella into the bedroom to rest, when Edward knocked on the door.

‘Yes?’ Alice asked, knowing it would bring Bella out of her doze.

‘Lunchtime?’ he asked through the closed door.

‘Are you hungry Bella?’ Alice asked her.

Bella shook her head. ‘I think I’d rather sleep,’ she admitted.

‘Done,’ Alice agreed. ‘Not yet, Edward,’ she said aloud for her companion’s benefit. Silently she explained that Bella was tired and would like to lie down. And that Alice would stay with her.

‘Let’s get you to bed then,’ Alice said, after she heard Edward retreat from the bedroom. Alice helped her the dozen or so steps out of the bathroom and to her bed. Though Alice had never used it for sleeping, it was comfortable enough.

Bella sleepily crawled under the covers Alice held back for her and didn’t protest when the older girl divested her of her jeans.

‘You can sleep as long as you want, Bella,’ Alice assured her. ‘I’ll stay right here. And Edward is downstairs if you need anything alright?’

Bella managed to nod before sleep pulled her under.  


* * *

  
Edward and Alice had changed places at some point, because when Bella woke up mid-afternoon, she found Edward lying on the bed beside her.

‘Did that help?’ he asked.

Bella stretched with a moan of pleasure. ‘Actually, I feel fantastic.’ She sounded surprised.

Edward smiled. ‘Alice said you would. So, despite your protests, I just let her get on with it.’

‘Thanks,’ she admitted.

‘How about an early dinner and then I’ll take you back before Charlie gets home?’ Edward suggested to her.

‘Yes to the first and a definite yes to the second.’

‘Esme’s making chicken parmesan. Emmett told her she should cook Italian because of your name.’ Edward obviously thought his brother was being stupid.

‘I’m not Italian, but I love the food. Chicken parmesan sounds great; just let me get dressed,’ she pushed back the covers.

Edward was out of the bed in a second, handing her the jeans before she’d even let go of the duvet.

‘Thanks,’ she said and pulled them on.

Outside the room, Bella could smell dinner cooking. Esme was hard at work once more when they reached the kitchen. ‘Give me ten minutes!’ she looked up from tossing a Caesar salad large enough to feed all the vampires in the house who didn’t eat.

‘I’m still working on my appetite,’ Bella assured her. ‘Don’t rush; it’s fine.’ She sat down at what was becoming her assigned place at the kitchen island, Edward beside her. Bella knew well enough already that there was no point offering to help.

‘Are you sure Charlie won’t be home early?’ Bella worried.

Edward looked at her. ‘Alice promises. He’ll be home at his usual time. I’ll have you back before five and with dinner. You can tell Charlie you got hungry. Esme says the chicken should reheat well.’

Bella glanced at Edward’s mother figure, bustling around the kitchen as well as Julia Childs ever did. ‘I’m so spoiled, but thanks. Charlie loves Italian too.’

‘Oh, that’s good,’ Esme sighed in relief. ‘I should make up a casserole now and then to drop by. I know you do all the cooking, Bella.’

‘I don’t mind. It beats starving or eating scrambled eggs every meal.’ Edward chuckled. ‘I really don’t know how Charlie – dad – managed to survive.’

‘He ate out while you were away,’ Esme admitted. ‘The diner, mostly, but he was down to the reservation one night as well,’ she frowned slightly at this last part. Edward frowned harder.

‘Stop,’ she demanded of them both. ‘No one on the reservation is going to cause trouble for Charlie, alright?’

Esme nodded, but Edward looked sceptical. ‘I don’t trust them,’ he all but growled.

Bella glared. ‘You don’t have to. It’s enough that I do, at least concerning Charlie.’

Edward gave her another long look, but finally nodded.

‘Dinner!’ Esme broke through the tension with her sweet voice. She put a plate down in front of Bella with every square millimetre covered by chicken, pasta and salad. Bella knew she’d be lucky to eat half of it.

‘Thanks Esme,’ she smiled at the cook.

‘I hope it’s alright. Not being able to test anything is detrimental.’ She sounded annoyed at her inability to eat human food.

‘If it’s half as good as the pancakes, it’ll be amazing.’ Bella cut off a corner of the chicken and popped it into her mouth. After a second of chewing she said, ‘better than the pancakes,’ around the mouthful.

Esme beamed at her and busied herself cleaning up. Edward sat and watched Bella eat, as he always did.

‘So, you managed to survive Alice,’ he interrupted her.

Bella stopped eating to answer him. ‘It could have been worse. I’m assuming her ‘surprise’ would have been. It was nice, though, to be pampered.’

‘I knew you’d feel better for it,’ Esme looked happy with herself. ‘Sometimes a woman needs a little spoiling, especially if she’s been ill or in the company of men,’ she levelled a look at Edward.

Her son looked affronted. ‘I spoiled her. She was ill; she needed treatment more than she needed manicures and make-up!’

‘Considering how I was feeling, I’ll admit Edward’s right. But it was nice to relax a little since I’ve been feeling better. And Alice is good at that. So long as it doesn’t involve shopping, I’m in favour of it,’ she admitted.

‘No shopping,’ Edward repeated. ‘Got it. Also, my sister heard that.’

Bella blanched. ‘Damn,’ she muttered.

‘Just wait Bella!’ Alice’s voice rang out from the living room. ‘We’re going to have so much fun!’

‘Not today,’ Bella pleaded.

‘Oh no, silly,’ Alice came to a stop beside the counter. ‘But soon!’ With that cryptic comment she danced back out of the room, probably to find Jasper.

‘What’s she on about?’ Bella asked with a slight edge to her voice.

‘I have no idea,’ Edward announced, but his voice sounded far too innocent.

‘Edward,’ she ground out, dinner entirely forgotten.

‘I’m not telling,’ he said again.

Bella sighed. She wasn’t going to win this argument. Dinner was getting cold, so she concentrated on making a dent in the massive pile of spaghetti. Considering what had happened in the last week, the fact that Bella could be nervous of what Alice had planned was laughable.

Though they didn’t rush, Edward still had her back to the house before five, leftover chicken parmesan in hand for Charlie.

He walked her to the door.

‘School tomorrow,’ Bella sighed. ‘Please tell me it’s going to be cloudy?’

‘All week. And I think Alice would like you to sit with us at lunch.’

‘But will Rosalie?’ Bella wondered.

Edward sighed. ‘Let me worry about Rosalie, all right?’

‘Okay. You’ll be back tonight?’

‘As soon as Charlie’s in bed, I promise.’

‘Alright, I’ll see you in a few hours.’ A few hours too long, she wanted to add.

‘You’ll manage. I’m sure there’s homework,’ he suggested.

Bella’s eyes widened. ‘Damn! Yes! I should do that,’ she frowned in annoyance.

‘Good luck,’ Edward told her and gave her a quick kiss.

‘I’ll need it,’ she admitted. ‘Alright, I’ll see you later.’ She stood on the porch, watching until the Volvo had disappeared down the road.

Sighing, Bella let herself into the house. She left dinner on the counter; Charlie would be back soon enough and there was no point in sticking it in the fridge for an hour. She spent half an hour cleaning up her room, putting on a load of laundry, and dragging her feet, before she settled down to work.

Thankfully she was probably still caught up in English, even after a week away. There was certainly math to do and she should read through the next chapter in biology, though at least Edward would help her with that if she was terribly behind. Spanish and Gym didn’t matter, but she had missed a quiz in Government that hopefully Mr. Jefferson would let her makeup. And Angela would let her copy the missed notes.

Bella was still slogging through trig problems when Charlie arrived home. She’d lost track of time completely and scrambled downstairs to reheat dinner.

‘Sorry dad! I got hungry early, but I’ll just reheat dinner for you.’

‘No problem, Bells. Did you go shopping?’ he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

‘Only on the way home and just for tonight. I’ll have to do a proper shop later.’

‘We’ll go out tomorrow. Diner okay? We’ll pick up some things on the way back,’ Charlie suggested.

‘That works,’ Bella admitted, grateful to put it off another day. Hopefully by Tuesday night she’d be caught up on work.

‘That smells great, Bells,’ Charlie told her.

The microwave beeped and Bella set the steaming plate down in front of him. ‘I had a crazing,’ she admitted, only half lying.

‘Wow, Bells, this is amazing. You’re really spoiling me,’ Charlie mumbled around a mouthful.

Like father, like daughter.

‘Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it. I’ll probably be less creative all week to make up for it. Anyways, I’ve got a ton of math homework to do,’ Bella said, edging out of the kitchen.

‘Yeah, sure; good luck,’ Charlie told her, fully concentrated on dinner.

Edward was sitting on her bed when she got back to her room. ‘This is later?’ she asked. ‘Not that I’m complaining.’

‘Alice saw you could use some help. And she said not to worry about Mr. Jefferson; he was off sick last week himself, so the class watched a movie instead. Just read the next chapter in the textbook and you’ll be ready for the quiz tomorrow.’

Bella smiled gratefully, ‘I’m really glad of Alice sometimes.’

‘This is for you,’ he handed her a folded piece of paper. ‘Carlisle hopes you had “a pleasant afternoon”,’ he finger quoted.

Bella only glanced briefly at it. It was a doctor’s note, excusing her from class for the day due to illness.

‘Tell him thanks. And, I did.’

‘I assumed that, considering how cheerful you were earlier.’

‘Yeah,’ she glanced at her math work. ‘Too bad that didn’t last a bit longer.’

‘I said I’d help. Did you not get far or is there something you were having trouble with?’ he asked as she settled down on the bed beside him.

‘Both,’ Bella admitted.

Together they managed to slog through the work. It was nearly eight when Bella finished the last problem.

‘Thank God that’s done. Remind me never to put off math work so long. And I still have that chapter to read.’

Edward picked up her textbook. ‘If you promise to stay awake and listen, I’ll read it to you.’

‘Charlie – ’

‘Quietly,’ he promised.

‘Alright.’ That sounded a fair deal better than having him watch her read it. She’d never be able to concentrate that way.

Edward could read articulately and faster than she possible could, even when doing so out loud to a human. It was barely 8:30 when he shut the text.

‘I can quiz you for the test?’ he offered.

Bella yawned. ‘No thanks, I’m done for the night. Too much studying rots the brain.’

‘Oh, does it? Well, if that’s the case, then I absolutely refuse to let you study another second. You’re still sick and as your doctor,’ Bella grinned at him, ‘it would be unconscionable to allow anything detrimental to your health.’

‘My doctor huh? I seem to have so many of those...’

‘Well, anyone as prone to danger as you needs all the help they can get.’

‘True,’ Bella admitted with a smile. ‘And I’ll tell you a secret.’

Edward leaned closer so that she could whisper unnecessarily in his ear.

‘You’re my _favourite_ doctor.’

‘Glad to hear it.’ He took advantage of their close positions and pulled her in for a quick kiss. ‘You should sleep. You’ll need all the rest you can get to make it through classes tomorrow.’

Bella sighed, knowing he was right. ‘It’s still early.’

‘So is school. Honestly, Bella, you _are_ still suffering from a bad case of influenza, whether you feel better or not. The medication can only help so much. Your body needs rest too.’ He was holding her head in one hand so that she had no choice but to look at him.

‘I haven’t asked, but...I thought about it,’ she started hesitantly. Edward waited patiently for her to continue. ‘It’s just; I know you were worried, especially when my fever was so high. I could see it on your face so easily.’ Edward nodded, though she didn’t need the confirmation. ‘Was it very hard for you, seeing me like that, considering...considering your past?’ She had been about to say ‘your parents.’

‘Yes,’ Edward admitted with sad eyes. ‘And no. It did remind me of what happened, but I knew you would recover in a few days. I never thought otherwise. I know Carlisle kept making the comparison, though he was as certain of your recovery as I was. There were a few times he was quite clearly remembering me lying in my own hospital bed. The worst memory was on Saturday night, when he came to find me, after he saw you?’ Bella nodded that she remembered. ‘He was picturing the night my mother died and she begged him to save me. That was the night I ‘died’. Carlisle usually tries very hard not to think of those memories when I’m around. Seeing you in that hospital put it in his mind.’

‘I’m sorry I worried you both so much.’

‘It’s not your fault, Bella.’

‘Yes it is. I’m the human,’ she complained.

Edward sighed. ‘That’s not a failing. Never think that. I love you human. In sickness and in health,’ he added with a smirk.

‘For now,’ she countered, but fell quiet, unwilling to start an argument considering how tired she was. Bella yawned for good measure.

‘Alright, sleep time. We have all day tomorrow to talk. And the next and the next...’ he smiled and kissed her again.

‘Bed. I need a human moment first,’ she said when he released her.

When Bella returned to the bedroom after brushing her teeth and wishing Charlie a goodnight, Edward had her books piled neatly on the desk and the covers turned down. Instead of protesting that she was no longer an invalid, she climbed under the covers and snuggled into his waiting side. ‘It feels good to be home.’

‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘Have a goodnight, Bella.’

‘Goodnight,’ she returned, already surprised at how quickly sleep was stealing over her.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 9**

Charlie was once more gone before she woke the next morning.

It seemed she and Edward had already fallen into a routine. He gave her enough privacy to shower and then change. After that, he sat at the kitchen table and watched her eat cereal. And then he drove her to school in the Volvo Alice had dropped off, sometime between the time Charlie left for work and when Bella thought to look out the window.

Normally, she’d object to the last part, but considering the current state of her truck, getting a drive wasn’t a bad idea at all. Though whether there was less staring from the student body was hard to say.

Rosalie’s bright red BMW was already parked in the lot when they arrived, though the driver was nowhere in sight. Alice was waiting to greet her; Jasper a few steps behind. ‘I’m so glad you’re back!’ she cried excitedly.

‘I’ve been back for two days, Alice.’

‘Yes, but you’re back at _school_. Things are normal again!’

‘Whatever normal is,’ Edward shook his head.

‘You better get up to the office, Bella, and drop that note off before class. It starts in ten minutes,’ Alice told her, with a hint that if she didn’t leave now she’d be late to English.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Edward offered.

‘I’ll manage,’ she promised him. ‘It’s a hundred feet that way and I promise not to trip over my own two feet.’

His look spoke volumes. ‘I’ll just wait here for you, then.’ By which he meant that he’d be watching every step.

‘She’ll be fine,’ Alice promised him, shaking her head as she grabbed Jasper’s arm. ‘See you at lunch!’ she called back.

Bella dug the note out of her bag where she’d put it between two books and rushed off to administration, being careful of her feet.

Mrs. Cope greeted her as soon as she walked through the door. ‘Bella! Where _have_ you been, dear?’

It was a trick question, obviously.

‘I was camping with the Cullens last week. Sorry for the short notice. It was all rather last minute. And yesterday I was sick,’ she smiled, aware that Mrs. Cope looked unsure. ‘Here’s a doctor’s note for yesterday,’ she passed it over.

The secretary opened it quickly, scanned whatever it said and folded it closed again. ‘Dr. Gerandy neglected to say what you were sick with.’

Bella managed to keep her surprise in check. Trust Carlisle to cover their tracks. It might have looked a bit strange if, after suddenly disappearing with the Cullens for a week, Dr. Cullen was also writing her sick notes.

‘I got a cold while we were gone. I was still feeling pretty bad yesterday morning. My dad insisted I go to the hospital. I’m feeling much better now, though,’ she tried her best to look truthful.

Mrs. Cope levelled another look at her, but finally relented. ‘I’ll make a note of it. You had best get to class.’

‘Thanks!’ Bella called, already headed out the door.

Edward hadn’t moved an inch when she got back to the parking lot. ‘How did that go?’

‘I’m not sure she bought Esme’s camping excuse.’

Edward frowned. ‘We use it too often. Especially this suddenly. Let’s hope it’s a wet spring.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Bella quipped.

He walked her to the door of building 3. ‘Have a good morning and I’ll see you at lunch.’

‘Okay.’ She was somewhat startled when he leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

‘See you later,’ he smiled.

Bella stood blinking after him for nearly a minute before a voice startled her. ‘Bella, you’re back! Did you go away with the Cullens? Only the two older kids were in school and my mom said Dr. Cullen wasn’t at work all week,’ Jessica rambled away.

‘Oh yeah. We went camping. Rosalie, Emmett and Mrs. Cullen stayed behind.’

Jessica looked a little confused. ‘I didn’t think you liked camping.’

Bella faked a smile. ‘I’ve changed my mind’

‘Wow. Well your dad’s pretty awesome to have let you go. That would never work with my parents,’ she went on.

‘You know Charlie – my dad – right? I don’t think he even noticed I was gone,’ Bella shrugged it off.

‘You’re probably right,’ Jess admitted, familiar with the Forks Police Chief.

Mr. Berty’s arrival stopped any further discussion on the subject, thankfully. Bella managed to avoid all but the most general questions until lunch. She happily escaped to the cafeteria when the bell rang.

Edward was waiting for her, already in line. Across the room, Rosalie and Emmett occupied their regular table. Alice and Jasper were probably running late, a thought that was confirmed a moment later when Alice skipped into the cafeteria and over to Bella.

‘Hey, how was your morning, Bella?’

‘Pretty normal,’ Bella admitted.

‘See, I said! You should come over after school. Esme wants to try cooking again and since you’re better now, you can try on all those clothes we bought!’

Bella looked pleadingly at Edward. He regarded her for a moment. ‘Alice, I think Bella still needs another day or two until she’s ready for that amount of...fun.’

Alice’s smile disappeared. ‘And is that your _medical opinion_ brother?’

Edward grinned. ‘Yes. I think you’ll find that Carlisle will agree with me.’

The last of the bubbles drained out of Alice as she slumped. ‘Fine, but you are coming over on the weekend, Bella.’

Bella sighed, defeated. ‘Sure, Alice.’

Alice’s excitement returned and she was off on a detailed rundown of everything they should do on Saturday. And maybe Charlie would let Bella stay over too.

Bella just tuned her out as they grabbed food and went to join Rose and Emmett. As soon as they neared the table, Emmett was out of his seat and had her in a bear hug. It hurt.

‘Ow,’ Bella complained.

‘Oh, sorry,’ Emmett said, not sounding sorry at all.

‘Don’t break my girlfriend please,’ Edward glared at his brother. Rose flinched slightly at the term ‘girlfriend’.

‘This is nice,’ Alice announced when they were all sitting down. ‘Isn’t this nice?’ she looked pointedly at all of them.

Bella was aware that every eye in the room was staring at their table. Or rather, staring at _her_. She smiled uneasily at Alice.

Emmett grinned broadly. ‘This is great!’ he agreed.

Jasper nodded politely, but Bella could tell that he was calm and relaxed, which he usually wasn’t around so many humans.

Rosalie still looked like she was walking under a perpetual thundercloud. Bella chose to ignore her.

It _was_ nice, sitting at the Cullen table. Carlisle had told her she was already a member of the family, but this made Bella truly feel a part. So, pretending that they were alone in the large cafeteria, she smiled at Alice. ‘This is really great, Alice.’ She turned to smile at Edward too. He smiled right back.

‘So, how was class Bella?’

‘Don’t you already know?’

Alice shrugged. ‘I wasn’t paying attention.’

Bella doubted that. ‘Class was fine,’ she played along.

‘That’s good. Are you going to gym today?’ Alice went on.

Bella hadn’t thought about doing otherwise. ‘I guess? I’ve missed six days already.’

‘But you’re still sick, right?’ Alice turned her question towards Edward.

‘Very,’ he said dryly.

‘I’ll sit out,’ Bella decided. ‘Coach Clapp won’t mind. It’s safer that way,’ she admitted.

Alice paused for a brief moment. ‘Yes, that will be okay. You should call Charlie about dinner. Say I invited you,’ Alice produced a cell phone.

‘Alright.’ No doubt there was an important reason. Maybe Charlie would say no if he thought Edward was doing the inviting.

Anne picked up on the second ring. ‘Forks Police Department,’ her pleasant voice declared.

‘Hi Anne; it’s Bella.’

‘Oh, Charlie said you’d got back! How’s the truck?’

‘Not great, but it’s fixable,’ Bella explained.

‘Well, that’s good. I guess you want your dad, right? I’ll put you right through,’ she said, not waiting for an answer.

‘Chief Swan,’ Charlie answered.

‘Hey dad – ’

He cut her off. ‘What’s wrong Bella? Are you in the hospital?’

‘What? No! Dad, I’m okay. Everything’s fine, I promise.’ Did she really only call him at work when there was an emergency? ‘I’m just calling to ask if I can go to the Cullens for dinner tonight. Alice asked me. She already cleared it with Mrs. Cullen too. I know we said we’d go to the diner, but...’

‘Oh, that’s okay. I can manage on my own for a meal, Bella. I did alright last week,’ he almost sounded proud of the fact. ‘Maybe I’ll go down to Billy’s; haven’t seen him in a while,’ Charlie decided.

Bella knew for a fact he’d been there less than a week before.

‘If you don’t mind. I mean, Esme – Mrs. Cullen, won’t mind if I can’t come,’ Bella suggested.

‘No, you go have dinner with Alice. You should bring her here one night too,’ Charlie offered.

‘Sure, dad,’ Bella answered, knowing she’d never subject Alice to an hour pretending to eat in front of Charlie. ‘So I’ll see you later?’

‘Yeah, Bells. Just don’t be there too late. I’m sure all the kids have homework too.’

‘I promise. See you later,’ Bella said and handed the cell back to Alice.

‘Great,’ Alice said. ‘What do you want for dinner? I’ll call Esme.’

‘Alice, don’t bother her. I’m not a picky eater. She can make whatever she wants. Just not so much of it!’ Bella protested.

‘Speaking of food,’ Edward interrupted and nudged the lunch tray towards her. ‘Breakfast and dinner are not enough.’

Bella sighed and made a concerted effort to pick apart and, mostly, eat the tuna sandwich she had picked out. Edward handed over the apple Jasper had been tossing in his hands. ‘Fruit too. After all, they say an apple a day – ’

‘I got it,’ Bella cut him off with a smile. ‘But why would I want to keep my doctor away?’ she stuck her tongue out playfully.

‘It won’t keep this one away,’ he smirked and leaned over to kiss her.

Emmett boomed with laughter, bringing every eye in the room back to them.

‘I can’t believe you can _do_ that,’ he joked at Edward. ‘How you stand not wanting to...’ he trailed off when Edward levelled a murderous look his way. ‘Sorry,’ he said.

‘Um, hi, Bella,’ a hesitant voice spoke from behind her.

Clearly the Cullens had noticed her approach, but Bella had been too focused on Emmett to be aware.

‘Hi Angela,’ Bella responded as she turned around in her seat to find out who had spoken.

‘I’m sorry to interrupt...’ she looked sorry too. Angela had the same look on her face that most people did when they were near vampires.

‘That’s okay,’ Bella answered her. ‘I’m sorry I’m not sitting with you guys today, but Alice invited me to, um, sit here.’

‘Oh, that’s alright! I just wanted to see if...you were alright?’ Angela glanced behind her quickly and Bella followed her gaze. Half-way across the room Mike, Jessica, Eric and gang were staring at them, clearly waiting.

‘Did they send you over here?’ Bella asked Angela.

Angela’s flushed face was answer enough. ‘Look, it’s okay. And I’m fine. Well, I had a cold, but that’s it.’ Edward snorted softly and she resisted the urge to kick him under the table. ‘Sorry I left without telling you guys; it’s just that Edward didn’t ask if I wanted to go until Sunday. It was all really last minute,’ she assured the other girl.

‘Well, I’m really glad you could go. I guess I’ll just go...sit down,’ Angela stammered out as all five Cullens continued to stare at her.

As soon as Angela had fled back to her table to whisper to the others, Bella actually _did_ kick Edward.

‘Ow,’ she moaned, immediately regretting it.

‘Why do you keep doing that?’ he asked.

‘I’m a slow learner,’ Bella said piquantly. ‘What are they whispering about?’ she asked the table in general.

Alice grinned. ‘I’m not sure you want to know. Anyway, they pretty much believe what Angela told them. I don’t see it being a problem.’

Bella looked a bit relieved. ‘Good. But no more unscheduled trips, right?’

Edward shook his head. ‘Probably not a good idea, no.’

Bella pretended to ignore the table full of her human friends for the rest of lunch, but she knew they were all still staring.

‘Biology,’ Edward announced when the bell rang.

‘Who knew the day would come I’d actually look forward to science?’ Bella replied with a grin.  


* * *

  
Bella did indeed sit out in gym. Coach Clapp, who seemed to be in a particularly good mood, took one look at her and pointed to the bench. Bella enjoyed a slightly more pleasant hour watching a game of basketball then she would have had she been forced to play.

Edward was waiting in the parking lot after class with Alice and Jasper. Rosalie and Emmett had already left, since the shiny red car was conspicuously absent.

‘You should sit out in gym more often,’ Alice told her.

‘Probably,’ Bella agreed. If only Coach Clapp would let her.

‘So, what’s for dinner tonight?’ Bella asked Alice as Edward peeled out of the parking lot at his usual speed of ‘too fast’.

‘Oh, Esme decided to try something new!’ Alice looked excited. More excited than she should be considering she wouldn’t be eating it. ‘Thai! She wants to try new stuff from all these different countries. Do you like sushi? She wants to try making it.’

 _Spoiled rotten_ , thought Bella, by her sort-of-but-not-really vampire mother-in-law.

‘I love sushi. But not sashimi,’ Bella clarified.

‘Okay, I’ll tell her. It’s weird, though, right? I mean, you’re human and you eat raw meat – or fish – in this case,’ Alice looked thoughtful.

‘Beats cooking,’ Bella laughed. ‘I like Beef Carpaccio too, sometimes.’

Jasper snorted, clearly amused.

‘I’ll get Esme to make that!’ Alice looked delighted.

Bella turned around in the passenger seat to talk to her. ‘Really, Alice, you shouldn’t. Carpaccio’s too much trouble, especially for one person.’

‘Maybe we can invite Charlie too! Does he like it?’

He probably did, but Bella had fifty-two reasons she could think of off the top of her head of why inviting Charlie to dinner at the Cullen’s was a bad idea. She was just about to tell Alice that when she realised that as soon as the pixie made the decision she’d have a very clear image of those fifty-two reasons. And Alice would probably ignore Bella’s advice anyways.

‘Charlie likes anything, except salad,’ she answered instead, just as Edward pulled off the main road onto the gravel drive.

Rosalie and Emmett were both absent when they piled through the front door a minute later. Esme greeted them, already wearing an apron and looking like she’d probably been in the kitchen all afternoon, trying out recipes.

‘Hi Esme,’ Bella greeted her.

‘How was school dear?’ she responded, looking for all the world like the perfect mother.

‘Tolerable,’ Bella replied honestly, something she would never have done with Renée.

Esme smiled. ‘Dinner will be at six. I expect everyone there,’ she added, clearly meaning her two absent children.

Which meant seven Cullens would be watching her eat tonight. Lovely, thought Bella.

‘They’ll be here,’ Alice promised her mother.

‘Good. I’m certain you have homework to do,’ Esme suggested.

Bella gave the others a close look. Likely they were already done. ‘Well, _I_ do,’ she announced.

‘We’ll help,’ Edward replied. He must have caught a thought from Alice or Jasper, because he quickly amended, ‘Well I will,’ a second later.

Alice smiled at him before she and Jasper disappeared upstairs in a flash.

‘I need a break first,’ Bella said. ‘Will you play something for me?’ she gestured to the piano.

‘Of course,’ Edward agreed. He would play for her for the rest of the evening if that was what she wanted. ‘Your lullaby?’

‘No,’ Bella said as Edward sat down on the bench. ‘Something else. Something you haven’t played for me before.’

‘Choices,’ he smiled, but after a few seconds’ thought his fingers moved over the keys.

Bella sat down nearby in one of the arm chairs, smiling her thanks when Esme appeared with a glass of tea for her.

The notes were familiar, but she couldn’t place it. It was a pleasant piece of music; not too soft or too dramatic. Bella liked both, but this piece sounded better for a relaxing afternoon surrounded by the beauty of the Cullens’ living room.

‘Bittersweet Symphony,’ he told her when he noticed her questioning look, as he continued to play with ease.

‘I knew I’d heard it before. I like it.’

Edward smiled and kept playing.  


* * *

  
Bella was nearly so full she felt sick when Edward dropped her at home shortly after eight that evening. Esme had put the leftovers in a container for Charlie. The Pad Thai had been fantastic and  
Bella hadn’t been able to stop eating, even when she knew she should stop. At least Esme hadn’t found a fondness for desserts yet.

‘Hey Dad,’ Bella greeted him. Charlie was on the sofa as always, watching ESPN.

‘Oh, hey Bells, how was dinner?’

‘Really good,’ she admitted. ‘Esme made Thai food. I brought some home for you for lunch tomorrow.’

‘Oh, thanks. That was really nice of her,’ Charlie struggled into a sitting position. ‘I picked up a few things after work. Billy was busy tonight, so I just made a sandwich. I think there’s enough for the rest of the week, though.’

‘Thanks for that,’ Bella admitted. ‘I have some more homework to finish.’

‘Sure, I’m just watching sports. There’s nothing much on tonight,’ Charlie assured her.

Bella nodded at him and turned back towards the stairs, knowing Edward would be waiting for her.

‘Oh, hey Bells?’ Charlie called her back.

‘Yeah Dad?’

‘Your Mom called. She wanted to talk to you about the move? You should call her back tonight.’ Charlie always seemed a little hesitant when talking about Renée.

‘Thanks, I will.’ She went back into the kitchen to do exactly that, figuring she might as well get it over with before starting on the rest of her work.

Renée picked up on the second ring. Phil must not have been at practice.

‘Hey Mom,’ Bella said.

‘Bella! Your Dad said you got back alright. But there’s something wrong with the truck?’

‘Yeah, but it’s fixable. I’ll take care of it this weekend. Its fine, Mom,’ Bella promised her, knowing Renée was probably worried about her driving a fifty-year old car.

‘Well, that’s good. Anyways, I know you’re probably busy. Charlie said you were at dinner with a friend?’

‘Yeah. Her name’s Alice. She invited me to her place for dinner. Her mom’s a really good cook.’ As soon as Bella said the words she regretted them. Cooking, or the lack thereof, had always been a sore spot with Renée.

‘Oh, I’m glad,’ she said, though she didn’t particularly sound it. ‘It’s good that you’re seeing your friends. Anyways, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to tell you that I got the flight rescheduled for June 26. Phil checked to make sure that school was over by then. I didn’t realise the semester went so late! But that’s okay,’ Renée rambled on. ‘There’s plenty of time to get the house here all ready for everything.’

‘Yeah, school’s over by then. I can meet you in Phoenix on the 26th,’ Bella promised her, grateful it was all working out.

‘Okay. Well, you probably have homework or something. I’ll let you go,’ Renée told her.

‘Yeah, I do. Thanks for calling, Mom.’

‘Oh, you’re welcome sweetie. Take care.’

‘You too mom,’ Bella told her. ‘Say hi to Phil,’ she hung up the phone.

‘I’ll be upstairs!’ she called to Charlie on her way to let him know she was off the phone.

So Phoenix at the end of June. And Jacksonville too; probably in July. At least her summer would contain some amount of sunshine.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 10**

It was the only amount of sunshine Bella would see, in fact. The rain continued to plague the Olympic Peninsula throughout the spring. In May, when the weather _should_ have been moving towards summery, the gloom that had persisted through April just continued. It was hard not to give into depression from a lack of Vitamin D. At dinner the first week of May, Carlisle took one look at Bella and told her to start taking supplements.

It helped, a bit. But Bella was more than willing to give up the sun if it meant every day with Edward. At least in theory. But a part of her really looked forward to the end of school and her planned trip to Phoenix. If only so that she could remember what blue sky looked like.

The second weekend of May, Alice finally got her way. It wasn’t a particularly nice weekend, but it was slightly less wet than the ones before. Alice announced Friday at lunch that they were going to Seattle to shop and that yes, Bella was coming with them.

Since she had been expecting this for a month and a half, Bella sighed in a resigned tone and decided it was probably best to just let Alice get on with it. The look on Edward’s face said he clearly agreed, even though it meant a weekend apart.

Saturday morning, Alice picked up Bella bright and early. Rosalie had, thankfully, decided her time could be better spent with Emmett, hunting somewhere up in the mountains. But Esme was with her, since the other ‘boys’ had gone off on their own hunting trip, which included Carlisle.

Also, as far as Bella was concerned, it looked a bit better if she and Alice had ‘adult supervision’ for a weekend in the big city.

Charlie met Alice and Esme at the door, clearly embarrassed and stammering slightly. Alice had been around a few times, though thankfully never for dinner, but Charlie had yet to actually meet Mrs. Cullen.

‘Um, Bella’s just finishing packing. She’ll be down in a minute,’ Charlie greeted them. ‘Um, come in?’

‘Oh, thanks Chief Swan!’ Alice danced inside in her usual manner of making herself at home wherever she was. Esme followed more politely, reaching out to shake Charlie’s hand.

‘It’s so nice to finally meet you, Chief Swan.’

‘Oh, please,’ he blushed again. ‘Call me Charlie. So, you’re going shopping with the girls?’ He asked her.

Esme’s smile turned him beat red. ‘Yes, Charlie. I’ll be with them all weekend. We have a hotel suite for tonight as well. I promise to take good care of your daughter.’

‘Well that’s, that’s good. Yes, thanks. Um, Bella?’ he called upstairs.

Bella appeared a moment later, finally taking pity on him. It hadn’t been difficult to overhear the whole conversation in the small house.

‘Yeah, dad, I’m ready. Hi Alice! Hi Esme!’ she greeted them both.

‘Hello sweetheart,’ Esme smiled at her. ‘I’ll take that bag for you,’ she divested Bella of her backpack. ‘Are you all ready to go?’

‘Yep,’ Bella told her. ‘Bye dad. Have a good weekend with Billy.’

‘Will do,’ Charlie assured her. ‘You have fun shopping and stuff. Don’t spend too much!’

‘Right, dad; I don’t think you have to worry about me,’ Bella told him, with a slight emphasis on the ‘me’.

‘Good. Well, you girls – um – women, have fun,’ Charlie flushed again.

‘Thank you Charlie. You have a lovely weekend yourself,’ Esme told him, leading the girls outside to the waiting car.

Rosalie might have gone off with Emmett, but she had been pretty gracious about giving up her BMW for the cause. Bella was fairly certain Alice had guilt tripped her somehow. Either way, since it wasn’t imminently about to rain, Esme had the top down on the warmest day so far that month.

Charlie gave an appreciative whistle. ‘That’s a pretty nice car, Mrs. Cullen.’

‘Esme, Charlie, please. And yes, it’s my daughter Rosalie’s. She won’t need it this weekend. ‘

If Charlie thought there was anything strange about having a daughter who could afford a sports car, or that she wouldn’t need it for the weekend, he kept it to himself. It was not the first time Charlie had been presented with a few facts that didn’t quite add up. Bella knew he spent most of his time pretending that was okay.

‘Have fun,’ he told them again, as they climbed into the car. Alice and Bella took the back seat together.

Bella gave a wave. ‘See you Sunday night!’ she called back as Esme pulled out of the driveway at a more sedate pace than Bella was used to from a Cullen. It didn’t last long, and by the time they hit the edge of town on the 101, Esme was speeding along just as quickly as the rest of her family did. Bella pretended not to notice as they raced towards Seattle.  


* * *

  
They took the ferry across the sound an hour later and reached downtown Seattle before mid-morning had passed. Bella was not at all surprised when they pulled directly into the parking garage for Pacific Place, Seattle’s most upscale mall. Clearly Alice wanted to get in as much shopping as possible before the day was old.

‘Let’s start at the top!’ Alice decided when she had all but dragged Bella through the underground parking into the mall. It was, on immediate sight, not Bella’s type of mall. Everything was far too shiny and expensive looking.

‘Alice, really, I don’t think –’ but Bella didn’t get to say what she thought.

‘Bella, please, just for once will you let me get on with things? You need clothes; don’t pretend you don’t. And it wouldn’t hurt you to try something other than jeans and sweaters. Honestly, I know it’s cold in Forks, but you can be stylish too! Please? Just, let me do this for you?’ She was making the puppy dog eyes again.

Bella sighed heavily, but nodded in a resigned way. Hopefully Esme would be able to rein Alice in a bit, at least so that she didn’t spend an absolute fortune on clothes she was only likely to let Bella wear once. ‘Just, one thing Alice, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Alice agreed.

‘I know you don’t think much of my style,’ Bella started. ‘But I wear the clothes I do because they’re comfortable. I know they don’t look great; not compared to what you and Rosalie wear, but I like them. Just...keep that in mind, okay? I’m not saying I can’t try something new, but I’m also not going to start wearing dresses to school every day.’

‘Okay, I can do that. And there’s a great jeans store here. We’ll try there! But we’ll start with some new tops. Something a bit nicer than t-shirts. And I promise I’ll find you a nice warm coat for this summer.’

‘Why?’ Bella asked.

‘Because it’s going to rain a lot,’ Alice told her with conviction.

‘Lovely,’ Bella sighed. ‘Okay, lead on.’ She tried not to make it sound like it was to her own funeral.

They started at _bebe_ , a store Bella had heard of, but never walked through the door of one before. It was entirely too colourful for her liking and there was a lot of sparkles and frilly things in view. But Bella had promised to behave. She let Alice tug her around the store, pulling things off the rack before – usually – shoving them right back on. Still, by the time Alice booted her towards the changing room, there were a good dozen items waiting for Bella to try on. Esme just followed along with a smile. Bella had noticed that Alice was choosing a few things for her mother as well, though nothing for herself.

Bella tried each piece on, and then allowed Alice to see a full 360 degree view of it. Some of the tops were actually not bad. There was a bit of a peasant feel to the style for the summer season, and Bella didn’t mind that at all.

In the end, they walked out with only three tops and a scarf that Alice seemed to have fallen in love with. Esme didn’t buy anything. And Bella made sure to keep her comments in check when Alice handed over her own credit card without blinking. It was more than Bella had ever spent in any store.

‘Second level now. We can look for jeans. And Esme can go to her favourite store. We’ll meet for lunch in an hour?’ Alice looked at her mother.

‘You girls have fun,’ Esme told them after they left the shop. ‘And Alice,’ Esme gave her daughter a hard look.

‘Alright,’ Alice said, as if her fun had suddenly been ruined. ‘Come on!’ she dragged Bella down to the escalator.

Jean shopping was a bit more fun. Bella was happy to try on different styles. Alice was just about to drag her to the next store, Club Monaco, when Bella stopped her.

‘Can we go in there?’ she pointed across the concourse to another store on the second level. It looked like an athletics store, and Bella figured she could use another pair of sweats or two.

‘Oh, lululemon, sure! I think you’ll like it. It’s Canadian. I’ve shopped there a few times in Vancouver. It’s really comfortable,’ Alice told her as they made their way over.

It was pretty colourful inside too, but Bella ignored the pastels and bright pinks and went straight for the black sweatpants. They were a different material then anything she’d ever seen, but they looked really comfortable. Alice waited patiently while she tried a few things on, finally settling on the more relaxed style of pant. It was kind of neat that they were reversible too. Double the wear, Bella figured.

‘Lunch time,’ Alice announced when the salesman had run through the sale. ‘Italian? Thai? Smoothies? What do you want to eat, Bella?’ Alice asked as they walked outside. Esme was waiting by the elevator, an Ann Taylor bag in one hand.

‘Um...Thai?’ Bella asked.

‘Okay!’ Alice sounded excited again. They rode the lift up to the fourth floor to a brightly patterned restaurant with quaint little booths. It didn’t seem very busy, considering the hour.

‘Are you ‘eating’? Bella asked them.

‘It would look a bit strange if we didn’t,’ Esme told her. ‘You order whatever you want dear and then you can try some of ours.’

This seemed like a good idea. They each ordered a different dish and Bella spent the next half hour after the food arrived sampling each one. Alice and Esme put up a good show of eating their own share, though Bella still hadn’t figured out exactly how they managed it. It was a mystery she would have to wait to experience herself, at some point.

After Esme paid the bill, Alice announced they were going down to the Concourse to continue shopping. There was still an hour or so left before they could check in at the hotel, and plenty of stores left to occupy their time.

The first store Bella noticed when the elevator let them off on Level 1, was the Barnes & Noble. ‘Alice?’ Bella started in a pleading voice. ‘Can we go to the bookstore?’

Alice regarded her for a moment and then seemed to catch Esme’s eye. ‘Sure,’ she agreed suddenly. ‘And we can find something for Edward!’

‘Hasn’t he read every book ever written or something?’ Bella asked her.

Alice shook her head. ‘Not really. Mostly he’s just read the ones in Carlisle’s library. Edward prefers to devote his free time to music, instead of reading. Though lately he’s found another hobby entirely.’

Bella let that sink in and then flushed when she realised Alice was referring to the fact that Edward spent his nights in Bella’s bedroom watching her sleep.

‘Seriously, does everyone know?’ Bella asked her. Alice grinned.

‘Oh yes; Emmett thinks it’s hilarious!’

‘Wonderful,’ Bella told her with as much sarcasm as she could muster, and then disappeared down a row full of mystery novels in a bid to escape from Alice for a moment.

Alice and Esme left her alone for a full hour, while she browsed shelf after shelf, pulling down anything that caught her eye and – mostly – replacing it, just as Alice had done with the clothes.

When she appeared at the register, Bella had a stack of half a dozen books, one of which she thought Edward might actually enjoy. ‘Here,’ Alice said and handed over a crisp $100 bill.

Bella glared at it accusingly, but Alice didn’t relent. ‘Fine,’ she said, and snatched it from the vampire’s hand as well as she could while still holding onto the books.

The guy at the register tried to flirt with Alice as he rung Bella’s purchases through. Alice smiled at him, but refused to flirt back. She did, however, make a pointed effort to twirl her wedding ring around her finger in full view. The guy didn’t seem to notice.

Bella was happy to leave the store, book bag in hand. ‘Right, we’ll try shoes and purses next.’

‘Alice, I have a purse.’

‘Yes _one_ , but a girl can have _many_. Come on; you’ll love Coach!’

Bella didn’t, in fact, love Coach. The first purse Alice picked up for her cost more than any amount of money Bella would ever put in it. And it was white leather, which seemed pointless in Forks. Alice finally settled for a small money purse with a shoulder strap in brown, with the well-known Coach logo, that still cost more than Bella had ever paid for even a pair of shoes. Alice bought herself a new green leather purse and Esme picked up a clutch bag in gold.

‘Right, we’ll try BCBG first and if we can’t find anything there, then we can check Nordstrom tomorrow morning.’

‘For what?’ Bella asked, as Alice led her across the Concourse to what looked suspiciously like a dress store.

‘A dress silly! Actually, you could use a few. I’m sure they’ll be an occasion or two this summer.’ The way she said it made Bella fully aware that there would _definitely_ be an occasion.

None of the dresses appealed to Bella at all, but Alice picked out a few things. Bella dutifully tried them on, modelling with a blush for Alice and Esme in the changing rooms. Alice finally settled on a light-weight tunic style dress in a gold colour and a stunning blue cocktail gown that – Bella was thankful – reached to the knee. It flowed really nicely, but Bella felt horribly overdressed and self-conscious.

They were both over two hundred dollars each and Bella tried not to flinch when the sales woman gave Alice the total.

‘Honestly, Bella, stop worrying about it! I could shop every day for the rest of eternity and never run out of money,’ Alice assured her.

‘Doesn’t mean it’s not a waste; spending $300 on a dress I’ll only wear once, if that.’

‘Looking good is never a waste,’ Alice scolded. ‘You’re getting cranky again. I think we should go to the hotel. You can have a nap before dinner.’

‘I’m seventeen, Alice, I don’t need a _nap_.’

Alice just raised an eyebrow and grabbed the bag the sales woman handed over as she pretended to ignore the conversation.

‘Then you can watch TV for a few hours until you get hungry again. Either way, I think you’ve had enough shopping for the day.’

‘Plenty,’ Bella agreed with her on that point.

The three of them managed to carry all the bags back to the car. Bella was unsurprised to find the hotel was only a block away. She was also unsurprised to walk into the soaring lobby that was about the size of the Cullens’ entire house.

‘Don’t stare,’ Alice elbowed her softly. She pulled her along to the wide check-in desk, where Esme handed over a credit card with a smile. The woman on the desk, impeccably dressed in a business suit of navy blue with a red scarf – probably the hotel’s uniform – handed it back only a second later.

‘Room 409 is ready for you and your guests, Mrs. Cullen. Will you need any assistance with your luggage?’

Alice had left all the shopping, but one bag, in the car.

‘No, thank you, we can manage. It you would be so kind as to make a reservation for the steakhouse for 7pm, however.’

‘Certainly,’ the woman replied, typing a few commands into the computer. ‘Please, enjoy your stay with us.’

‘We shall,’ Esme assured her.

Alice led the way to the bank of shiny elevators.

The room could have been worse. Bella was sure there was a Presidential Suite or something in this particular hotel, but since she would be the only one sleeping, Esme had booked a normal double room. The bathroom was pretty spectacular; Bella took one look at the Jacuzzi tub and decided she’d earned that much.

‘I’m taking a bath,’ she told Alice.

‘Okay! I’ll run the water for you. Oh!’ Alice called back from the bathroom. ‘There’s scented soaps! How about Citrus & Sage?’

‘Fine,’ Bella told her in a normal voice she knew would carry. She heard the water turn on and then the clanking of bottles.

‘There you go,’ Alice said as she exited the bathroom. ‘I made sure it’s not too hot. You should let it fill properly if you want to use the Jacuzzi jets.’

‘Thanks, Alice. I’ll um...probably be a while,’ she looked at her two companions.

‘Take your time sweetheart,’ Esme told her with a smile.

‘We’ll watch TV. Don’t worry about us. Enjoy your bath!’ Alice said.

Bella did exactly that. The Citrus & Sage smelled surprisingly nice. It was both soothing and rejuvenating after hours spent in the mall. Bella didn’t think she’d ever spent so much time shopping before, and Alice wanted to do it again the next day. She sighed, resigned. If she wanted to be with Edward, that meant accepting Alice too. Every part of her; including the part that liked to blow vast amounts of Cullen money on clothes.

For about the hundredth time Bella allowed herself to fantasize about exactly how much money the Cullens had. It was certainly in the multi-millions. Carlisle alone could have earned that much over the decades as a doctor. But Bella knew Esme had worked as a designer before. That probably brought in a fair paycheque too. And then there was the fact that money, over time, tended to accumulate things like interest and dividends when properly invested. Bella had no doubt it was. And that Alice had a helping hand in things like that.

Bella cringed at the thought that Edward could be a multi-millionaire in his own right. The Cullens combined could be billionaires. It didn’t make Bella feel any better that they wanted to spend ridiculous amounts of that fortune on her. What was wrong with the simple life?

Though, that probably didn’t really apply to things like vampires. Bella’s life was anything but normal these days, and she had to admit she preferred it that way. Normal was just a bit overrated. Of course, these days, not being normal meant lots of money, fast cars, and running for her life.

That last part, at least, was thankfully over. Bella knew she was a trouble magnet, but hopefully there wouldn’t be any more nomadic trackers after her blood. And if there were, Bella planned to talk Edward out of any cross-country road trips.

She snorted softly, thinking about trying to talk Edward out of any decision he had already made. Especially one meant to keep her safe. It was unlikely her opinion would have much clout. Still, it was nice to dream.

The jets were relaxing the sore muscles that came with a couple of hours in a car, followed by hours walking on mall floors trying on dozens of outfits. But the water was already starting to lose its warmth. And it was certainly making her a bit sleepy. A nap before dinner would actually be nice, though it would probably mean letting Esme and Alice watch her sleep.

With another sigh, Bella climbed out of the bath, wrapping herself in the fluffy hotel robe that Alice had set on the edge of the tub and squeezing the water out of her hair with a towel. Even the _towels_ smelled nice. She twisted the plug on the drain and opened the door. It was a bit cooler out in the room. The hot water had warmed the bathroom quite a bit.

‘Ready for that nap?’ Alice asked. She was sitting on the sofa, but the TV was on mute.

‘Yeah, I think I will. It’s a while until dinner, right?’

‘Yes, you’ve got time. But don’t forget you need time to get ready too.’

Bella blinked at her. ‘It’s a steakhouse, Alice. How ‘ready’ do I need to be?’

Alice looked thoughtful. ‘Well that knew tunic dress would look nice. We aren’t going outside so you don’t have to worry about being cold. Or wet. I brought a dress to wear too.’

‘Right. Do I have an hour, at least?’

‘Oh yes! I’ll wake you. Do you want me to stay? Esme’s gone out for a bit. There is an art dealer  
not far from here she wanted to speak with. But I can stay with you. I know you’re probably used to having Edward around when you sleep.’

That was true, though Bella blushed to admit it. ‘Thanks, Alice.’

‘I’ll just stay over here,’ she told Bella from her place on the sofa.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 11**

She did. Alice was in exactly the same spot when Bella awoke an hour later. Outside, the clouds had thickened and with the lowering sun it looked later than it actually was. The clock said six.

‘Did you sleep well?’ Alice asked her.

‘Yes,’ Bella replied honestly.

‘Good. Esme will be back in...five minutes. We need to do your hair!’

Bella let out a huff of annoyance, but dutifully crawled out of the soft bed and followed Alice into the bathroom once more. Alice was still combing through the tangled and still slightly damp locks, when her mother returned.

‘I hope you enjoyed the bath,’ Esme said, by way of greeting.

‘It was great. Sleep was pretty good too. Why is shopping so tiring?’ she asked the room in general.

Alice laughed. ‘Because you aren’t used to it! Don’t worry, I’ll fix that.’

Bella had no doubt she would. And that Edward would probably let her.

Moving at human speed, Alice set to work styling her tangled mess of brown hair into a stylish, but simple up do. Bella tried to sit patiently as Alice dug into a rather large bag of makeup, most of which seemed to be new. Alice certainly wore eyeliner and mascara and lip-gloss, but she didn’t have much need for foundation and powder and those sorts of products. Bella had no idea when Alice had found the time to buy things specifically for ‘the human’.

Still, as seven o’clock approached and Alice helped her into the gold tunic dress they’d bought that afternoon, Bella had to admit the effect was...nice. It was almost unfortunate Edward wasn’t around to see it. She noticed Alice was observing her closely in front of the mirror.

‘What?’ Bella asked.

‘Just taking it in. I want to have a really clear image in my mind to show Edward.’

Bella had forgotten about that. She smiled. So, Edward _would_ get to see her.

‘Right, shoes,’ Alice held out a pair of strappy black heels that Bella definitely did not remembering buying that day. ‘They’re mine, but I know we have the same shoe size. And you can’t wear trainers with _that_. We’re only going downstairs and I promise to catch you if you fall. Or warn you ahead of time.’

‘Gee, thanks,’ Bella sighed, but took the shoes and sat down on the edge of the bed to strap the death contraptions onto her feet.

Esme emerged from the bathroom, now dressed in a flattering lilac cocktail dress and conservative shoes. Alice had obviously changed while Bella slept, because she was wearing a patterned navy and white outfit that reflected her personality well. And stilettos. Bella was thankful Alice hadn’t wanted her to borrow _those_.

She was true to her word, at least. Alice never walked more than a foot away from Bella the entire way down the hall and downstairs to the restaurant. It was crowded inside. Apparently Saturday at seven was a popular hour. Bella was a bit surprised to find that she wasn’t overdressed at all. There were plenty of suits around, but quite a few women were in skirts or dresses. The three of them blended in.

The host showed them to a table on the upper level, out of the main foot traffic for the restaurant. The low volume meant it was quiet enough to carry on a conversation. He gave them all an appraising look as he turned them over to their server for the evening.

Almost thankfully, Alice and Bella weren’t old enough to drink, at least according to their driver’s licenses. It let Esme off the hook too, as the responsible adult. Alice and Bella ordered cokes and Esme chose water instead.

‘You order whatever you’d like dear,’ Esme told her. ‘Do you like calamari?’

Bella nodded.

‘We’ll order one to share, then,’ she continued with a wink. Bella hoped the portion wasn’t too large or she’d never manage the whole thing herself.

She had never been a huge steak fan, though Charlie certainly loved it. There was plenty of seafood to choose from though, and since Bella didn’t get that very often, except for copious amounts of fish, she decided on shrimp. Alice announced that they could share it and Bella would still have room for dessert. Esme just ordered a large Caesar salad, announcing quite loudly to the waiter that she was watching her figure. He gazed at her, thoroughly dazzled by the smile she sent his way.

Bella considered, not for the first time, why Carlisle had fallen in love with this woman.

She managed most of the calamari herself. Alice and Esme snuck a few pieces into their napkins to help. When the entrees arrived, Bella was very happy to see that the meal wasn’t huge. And she was just hungry enough to savour the shrimp and mashed potatoes that came with it. Alice took the vegetables and Esme picked apart the salad into such small pieces that it looked like she’d eaten most of it, without touching a bite. Bella was becoming a bit better at realising where the food went and how they managed to make it look like they _were_ eating. It was rather fascinating to watch.

The waiter kept returning, despite how busy the restaurant was, to ask if they needed anything. Each time, Esme or Alice would politely decline the service. Bella almost felt sorry for the poor man. It was entertaining to observe when it wasn’t a waitress making eyes at her boyfriend.

When Bella had declared she couldn’t eat another bite, and certainly not dessert, Alice finally stopped pushing food her direction. The Cullens were finally starting to realise that just because humans ate food, didn’t mean they needed to eat endless quantities of it. Even if it was the best garlic shrimp in existence.

‘Not another bite, Alice,’ Bella begged her.

‘But you like it!’

‘Yes, but there is still a limit to my consumption of food. Please, no more. Or I’ll end up feeling sick. Sicker than I already am, at least.’

Alice looked suddenly worried. ‘You feel sick? Is that normal?’

‘With this much food, yes. Don’t worry; I’ll be fine in a bit. I just need to sit here and...relax.’ She had been about to say digest, but that conjured up less than pleasant images.

‘Okay. But the movie starts at 9:30. And I’m sure it will be busy,’ Alice told her.

‘Movie?’

‘Yes! I thought you’d like to go. There’s a big theatre just a block away and that new movie with Orlando Bloom is playing.’

It had been a very long time since Bella had paid any attention to movie releases. ‘What movie with Orlando Bloom?’

‘ _Kingdom of Heaven_. It’s about the Crusades, I think. It looks pretty good. And there’s romance and fighting and all that stuff.’

‘Yeah,’ Bella tried to look excited. ‘I’m not really an Orlando Bloom fan.’

‘Well, Liam Neeson is in it too. And Jeremy Irons. They’re good actors. Besides, _I_ want to see it,’ Alice told her in a tone that brooked no argument.

‘Fine,’ Bella agreed. Like everything with Alice, it was just easier that way. ‘But you said we weren’t going outside. It’s too cold for dresses and heels, Alice, at least for me.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll run back up to the room and get you that jacket we bought. It’ll only take a minute!’

Esme walked with them to the theatre, one hand on Bella’s arm to keep her from tottering over in the high heels. ‘You girls have fun. I’ll see you later at the hotel,’ she said in a very maternal tone.

‘Thanks Esme,’ Bella smiled at her and moved over to clutch at Alice instead. Heels were not made for sidewalks. Or any surface, in fact, if they were on Bella’s feet.

Alice had just purchased tickets for them from the outside booth when she suddenly fished into her purse and pulled out her small cell phone _before_ it even rang.

‘Hello Edward,’ she answered after the first half note. ‘Yes, I’m sure you would. She’s right here.’

Bella took the phone Alice held out for her. ‘Edward? Is everything alright?’

_’Everything is fine here. I just wanted to see how you were.’_

‘I’ve survived. At least so far,’ Bella joked. ‘I promise Alice has been on her best behaviour. We’re just about to see a movie right now.’

_’I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I won’t keep you.’_

‘Thanks. I miss you.’

_‘I miss you more. I’ll see you tomorrow when you get back. See if you can’t entice Alice out of her morning plans,’ he hinted._

Bella smiled at Alice, knowing she could hear every world. The pixie frowned in annoyance. ‘I’ll try. Goodnight, Edward.’

 _‘Goodnight, my love,’_ he said, and hung up.

Bella passed the phone back to her companion. ‘What did you have planned?’

Alice shrugged. ‘Just a trip to the art gallery. I _thought_ you might enjoy it.’

Bella considered that. ‘How early does it open?’

‘Ten.’

‘If we go for a couple of hours, can we head back to Forks for the afternoon?’

Alice sighed. ‘Alright. I guess we’ve done enough shopping for one weekend. At least for you. We’ll just plan for a really good shopping trip this summer to make up for it!’

‘Yeah,’ Bella enthused sarcastically.

‘Right: movie! We need to get seats. It’s going to be so busy with fan girls! Come on,’ she took Bella by the arm and led her into the theatre.

It was, indeed, busy inside, and most of the people in sight did appear to be teenage fan girls. Bella hoped there wouldn’t be a lot of giggling and screaming going on throughout the movie. They managed to find not bad seats to one side of the auditorium.

‘If you get tired or want to leave,’ Alice leaned towards her, ‘you can tell me. Alright?’

Bella nodded back in the darkened theatre. She hoped Alice wasn’t concerned about her being frightened or something silly like that. She was used to epic battle sequences.

There was a fair amount of excited talking as the lights went down completely and the trailers started. Honestly, Bella thought, how ridiculous can you be over a movie star? Then she smiled, thinking of her own gorgeous heartthrob at home. Maybe she shouldn’t be too judgemental. The other girls around them in the theatre would never be as lucky as her or Alice.

In the end, the movie wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d thought. Admittedly, she didn’t know enough about the Crusades to tell if it was historically accurate or not, but it looked pretty well researched and – shockingly – Orlando Bloom hadn’t ruined the whole thing.

She and Alice were still debating the merits of ‘historical’ movies when they returned to the hotel room. Bella’s feet were starting to ache in a way she severely disliked.

‘No more heels,’ she begged Alice as they pushed through the door, giggling like typical teenagers.

‘Well, not this weekend,’ Alice promised. ‘You just need to practice. Your feet will get used to them!’

‘That’s a comfort,’ Bella huffed.

‘Did you girls enjoy the movie?’ Esme greeted them. She had changed out of her dinner dress into the most normal outfit Bella had ever seen her in: loose cotton pants and a t-shirt. It made her look younger than her frozen twenty-six years. Almost as young as Bella and Alice.

‘It wasn’t bad,’ Bella said at the exact same time Alice said: ‘I loved it!’

‘Well, I’m glad. I’ve no doubt you’re tired, Bella. I hope Alice and I will not be a bother for you tonight.’

Bella smiled at the woman she was already coming to think of as a second mother. ‘I’m used to having a vampire in the room,’ she winked. ‘Maybe Alice can share the bed with me and it’ll be a _real_ sleepover.’

Alice grinned at this idea. ‘Sounds fun!’

‘You do have to let me sleep, though.’

‘I will,’ Alice promised. ‘I’ve never watched a human sleep before; not until this afternoon. I think it will be interesting. My brother must see something in it. He watches you every night!’

Bella flushed red. ‘I think he reads. I can’t imagine listening to me talk about him in my sleep is all that exciting.’

‘Oh! You dream about him!’ Alice seemed to find this inadvertent admission particularly exciting.

Bella blushed again. ‘I think I only do it because I can tell he’s there. Maybe I’ll dream about _you_ tonight, Alice,’ Bella shrugged.

‘We’ll see,’ she smiled knowingly.

Bella sighed and set about getting undressed and scrubbing the makeup from her face. She made no fuss when Alice handed over a pair of silk PJ bottoms and a tank top. She crawled under the covers of the same bed she’d used earlier. Alice joined her a minute later, also dressed in PJs, but she took a spot on top of the bedspread.

‘I don’t want you to get cold,’ Alice told her.

‘I won’t,’ Bella promised. She curled up on her side near the centre of the double bed. Alice lay further down beside her, her head resting above Bella’s on the pillows.

‘Goodnight, sweetheart,’ Esme called from the sofa.

‘Goodnight,’ Bella told her back. ‘Night Alice. And thanks for today. I mean that.’

‘You’re welcome, Bella, as always. I hope you sleep well. We’ll be here if you need anything.’

‘Thanks,’ Bella said in the midst of a yawn. She was asleep within moments, curled up next to Alice’s cold body. Apparently she was just tired enough to be content with a substitute for Edward.  


* * *

  
Bella slept soundly until nearly nine when Alice finally nudged her awake. Not a single dream had interrupted her slumber and Alice swore she hadn’t talked in her sleep.

‘Good morning Bella!’ Alice grinned at her from only a foot away when Bella peeled her eyes open.

‘Oh, morning Alice,’ she blinked.

‘You should get up now. The gallery opens in an hour and you should eat breakfast first,’ she stated matter-of-factly.

‘Right,’ Bella let out a morning yawn and sat up. The bed had been very comfortable. ‘Where’s breakfast?’

‘Oh, you can have it here, if you’d like. I’ll call room service! What do you want? Waffles, pancakes, eggs...?’

‘Um, maybe waffles,’ Bella decided.

Alice was immediately on the room’s phone to order the waffles, as well as a few other things. Bella took the opportunity to drag herself out of the bed to the bathroom. Her hair needed rather a lot of help before it lay flat, but it was a bit surprising to find the usual dark circles under her eyes were all but gone. Apparently a sound sleep was all that was needed. It made her look almost human.

Bella chuckled to herself before returning to the room. Esme was sitting on the sofa, already dressed for the day. Bella hadn’t noticed her there when she’d woken.

‘Did you sleep well, dear?’ the vampire mother asked.

‘Really, really well.’ She grabbed the robe she’d left over the end of the bed the night before and wrapped it around her waist. It would do until breakfast was over.

‘Room service should be here in ten minutes,’ Alice assured her. ‘I tried to get it faster, but they said it took time to make waffles.’

Bella smiled. ‘It does, Alice. Food is not instant. At least, not the sort of food I’d rather eat. You can get frozen pre-made waffles, but fresh ones taste much, much better.’

Alice looked fascinated. ‘We should do your hair and makeup now. I’ve got your outfit all ready,’ she gestured to the other bed. There was a new pair of jeans and a new top with – blessedly – Bella’s usual sneakers.

She didn’t protest when Alice steered her back into the bathroom and pushed her down onto the bench. Unlike the night before, Alice was not getting her ready for an evening out and so the makeup was very simple and her hair was only brushed to within an inch of its life.

A knock sounded at the room door just as Alice finished the final touches. Esme answer it and a hotel steward rolled a silver cart inside. On top was a covered plate, coffee, juice and a selection of fruit. As always, it was more than Bella would ever hope to eat.

She watched Esme hand over a folded bill and thank the man. Alice rushed about setting up breakfast on a corner table and urged Bella to start eating while it was still hot.

The waffle was the size of the dinner plate it rested on. There was butter and syrup on the side and it all looked so delicious that Bella dug in without hesitation. Thankfully, this time, Alice and Esme were content to leave her alone and at least pretend to watch the TV.

Bella managed more of the breakfast than she’d thought. When the last bite had been scrapped through the remains of the syrup she dutifully dressed in Alice’s outfit.

‘Right! Off to the gallery then. We’ll have lunch there and then leave for Forks. You’ll be back with Edward by mid-afternoon, okay?’ Alice asked her.

Bella nodded. It would do.

Downstairs in the lobby Esme checked them out and handed over their suitcases to the concierge. They were locked in a room behind the desk.

Then, outside, Esme asked the doorman for a taxi, which he flagged down in a matter of seconds. Clearly staying at a high class hotel on a main street had its advantages. The Seattle Art Museum was only a half dozen blocks away, but Bella was happy to not have to walk.

The reddish concrete exterior of the building gave way to a soaring interior lobby space. It was just after ten o’clock on Sunday morning and already it was busy with tourists. Alice led the way up the first escalators to the ticket desk, easily handing over a membership card, and then to a quiet corner.

‘We can see whatever you’d like, Bella. Esme and I have both been here before. Why don’t you look at the map over there and decide. We have a couple of hours.’

Bella gave the diagram of the gallery layout a good look over. Art wasn’t really her thing, especially modern art, but there were some good options. ‘Can we start at the top?’

‘Sure!’ Alice agreed and off they went, up the escalators to the fourth floor. Alice tailed along at her side as Bella walked through the European and African galleries. Esme disappeared at one point, apparently to another exhibit. They moved down to the third level after that to look at the Native artwork. There were a few pieces specifically from the Quileute tribe which Bella found fascinating and Alice did not.

‘It’s too bad about it being the 15th,’ Alice announced as they approached a section on Asian Art.

‘Why?’

‘Because every third Sunday they do a tea ceremony here. It’s really something to watch! I’ve seen it done in Japan, of course, but it’s neat to watch it here with all the tourists.’

‘Maybe we can come another time,’ Bella offered, while she silently vowed to remember to ask Alice when exactly she’d been in Japan.

Esme met them in the photography exhibition; their last stop. It was after noon now and despite breakfast Bella was feeling a little hungry. ‘Are you ready to go, girls?’ Esme asked. She was standing in front of a black and white image of an old man.

‘If you are,’ Bella told her.

Alice took them down to the restaurant on the main floor. It was very typical of an art museum; very trendy and modern.

A waiter sat them down and handed out brunch menus. ‘Is there a lunch menu I could look at?’ Bella asked.

‘Of course,’ he said and went to retrieve one. There was even more to choose from.

Esme ordered a cappuccino with the air of someone who never eats in public. Bella was beginning to notice, now that she had been out in public with most of the Cullens that they put on a good act when surrounded by strangers. They pretended to be the sort of people that most would assume they were: rich, slightly arrogant and not approachable. Perhaps it was a vampire type skill and could be learned.

Bella chose the grilled cheese and soup option, since she was a bit hungry but not yet starving after her large breakfast. The order didn’t take long, either, and Bella made short work of the small sandwich and bowl of tomato soup. The sooner she finished eating, the sooner they could be headed back to Forks and to Edward.

‘You know, he’s not going anywhere,’ Alice told her dryly as Bella all but gobbled down the soup. ‘There’s no rush on the rest of eternity,’ she added with a wink.

Bella blinked at her, not quite sure what to do with that comment. Did Alice really mean...

‘Alice, have you, um, seen something? About Edward and I?’

‘I see many things,’ Alice told her cryptically. Esme gave her daughter a warning look. ‘I don’t know what will actually happen or not. But in every vision I do have of the future, Bella, you and Edward are together. So you can stop worrying.’

 _That_ did make Bella relax. She knew without a doubt that Alice wasn’t lying. And whichever way it went, at least they had time on their side. For now. And time was all she needed to convince Edward of eternity.

They took a taxi back to the hotel after lunch. A bellhop happily took their bags from the locked storage and led them down to the underground parking garage. Esme thanked him warmly when he had set their bags in the trunk of the BMW. She left the top up as they drove out of the lot and onto a side street. The near sun of the morning was quickly giving way to rain clouds once more.

Bella sighed, remembering Alice’s prediction for a wet summer. But it would be worth it, to spend every day with Edward, free of the worry of exposure. The flip side, however, was that Alice would be free to drag Bella off on as many shopping trips as she could manage.  


* * *

  
**Chapter 12**

Bella fully expected to be left alone for at least a few weeks after that. She told Alice as much when they returned from Seattle. A weekend of shopping deserved a least a month’s break from any further makeover attempts.

Alice didn’t listen. It was almost the end of May and classes were wrapping up before final exams. Bella was entirely too stressed about homework, essays and the coming tests to pay attention to much else. It wasn’t surprising that she was unaware of the significance of the day. It wasn’t like she had been looking forward to it anyways.

Edward picked her up Saturday morning; hours after Charlie had left to go fishing with Billy. It was no longer unusual on a weekend for Bella to spend a day at the Cullens, but she had homework to do, despite Edward’s insistence that there were more important things.

Bella should have figured out that something was up when Alice met them at the door of the white house. Bella managed two words of protested begging in Edward’s direction before Alice swept her upstairs to her bathroom.

For the first few hours, Bella figured Alice was just having fun. There was a manicure and pedicure, a nice neck message to ‘release some of that tension you’re carrying around these days’ and quite a long effort on her hair that involved hot rollers. None of it impressed Bella, but she grin and bore it, hoping Alice with soon run out of energy.

Esme brought her lunch and even Rosalie stopped by to ask Alice how things were going. Bella thought she actually caught a slight look of approval on the blond vampire’s face before she disappeared back through the door.

It was only when Alice set about with makeup and final hair preparations that Bella started to think that maybe it wasn’t a normal make over session. There was a purpose to all of Alice’s work.

‘Alice,’ she pleaded for the tenth time.

‘Nope, I’m still not telling. Besides, I already know everything is going to be fine and you’re going to love it!’ This was said with just enough forced enthusiasm that Bella knew she was lying. Or at least embellishing.

‘Seriously, Alice, whatever he’s got planned, I’m not interested.’

‘I doubt that,’ Alice teased. She had a point. ‘There,’ she twirled the last piece of hair. ‘You’re all done. Just need to get you dressed!’

Bella literally cringed. Apparently, it could get worse.

The dress was stunning on the hanger, just as it had looked in the store two weeks before, but Bella didn’t think anything more of it when Alice squeezed her into its ruffled, hip-hugging layers. ‘Seriously, Alice, I look ridiculous.’

Alice frowned, annoyed. ‘You look _amazing_ and Edward’s going to tell you that. Just trust me and have a nice time.’

Bella nodded meekly. Right now, arguing wasn’t getting her anywhere.

‘Sit down on the bed so I can put these on,’ Alice told her, brandishing a pair shoes. A pair of _heeled_ shoes.

‘Absolutely not!’ Bella physically backed away. ‘I’ll wear the dress, but I am not going to kill myself just so my feet look good!’

‘You won’t. I _know_ you won’t, so stop complaining. Edward’s not going to let you go anyways; don’t you know that by now?’

Alice had a point. Bella huffed, but sat down on the edge of the bed to allow Alice to strap her feet into the sparkly death contraptions called designer heels. Could this day get any worse?

Bella was certain it could. The proof came soon afterwards when – one hand securely on her arm to prevent accidents – Alice took her downstairs to a waiting Edward. A waiting Edward wearing a suit and holding a corsage.

Absolutely _not_ , Bella thought as soon as she caught sight of it. But then he smiled at her, dazzling in a heartbeat, and Bella forgot why this was a bad idea. Bloody vampires. She’d find a way to get back at both Alice and Edward for this. But later; much later. Possibly when she had forgotten how hot Edward looked in a suit and tie.

But instead of dwelling on those thoughts, she let Edward slip the corsage over her wrist and take Alice’s place at her side.

‘You can stop looking like I’m taking you to your execution,’ he whispered to her.

‘What?’ Bella blinked at him, only then realising she’d been a bit out of it for the last minute.

‘Smile,’ he told her. She grimaced instead.

‘Oh sweetheart, you look stunning!’ Esme exclaimed from by the front door.

Bella’s grimace faltered somewhat in the presence of Edward’s smiling mother. ‘Um, thanks Esme,’ she managed.

‘You look beautiful tonight, Bella,’ Carlisle told her from his wife’s side.

Bella flushed red and managed to stammer out a thank you. It was one thing to hear it from Esme, who complimented everyone. It was another from Alice, who was so sure of her makeover skills that _no one_ could look bad after she’d touched them. But it was entirely different coming from the Cullen patriarch whom Bella was certain would neither lie nor embellish such a statement for the sake of making her feel better.

Edward smiled at his parents, gave Alice a brief wave of thanks and led a stumbling Bella outside to the Volvo.

‘Can we not, please Edward?’ she begged when he had closed his own door and turned the key in the ignition.

‘Human experiences are important, Bella. Especially rites of passage ones. We won’t stay long, but please, try to pretend you’re enjoying yourself. At least for your friends’ sakes.’

That stopped any further protests. Bella knew how much Jess and Angela had been looking forward to tonight. They deserved it and that meant they deserved to have a smiling Bella who didn’t look like being at Prom was worse than being hunted by a crazed vampire tracker. Though in Bella’s mind, that decision was a near thing.

‘Fine,’ she sighed as Edward gunned the car down the winding drive.

‘Thank you,’ he said.

Bella spent the short ride bargaining with herself. She’d dance with Edward if they could leave early. She’d smile for the camera if it meant she could sit at the table as long as she wanted. She’d keep the shoes on so long as Alice didn’t go near her until exams were over.

By the time they reached the parking lot Bella had managed to calm herself down enough to plaster a – mostly – believable smile on her face and still her racing heart.

‘I won’t be that bad,’ Edward promised her as he helped her out of the car. Around them twilight was drawing in and from the gym music blared. Scattered here and there amongst the cars were other students dressed in bright colours and dark suits.

‘Right,’ Bella took a deep breath and grabbed the arm Edward held out towards her. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’

Edward smiled at, but there was a clear edge underneath it of disappointment. Bella let out a sigh and resolved to have a good time, at least for his sake. He may have been doing this for her, but she knew that it pleased him to see her enjoy a ‘human experience’.

Inside the gym the music was even louder, a steady bass thrum felt through the floor. Bella tottered along on her heels, gripping Edward’s arm in a less than lady like fashion. He seemed aware of the fact though, and was at least making an effort to walk at whatever speed she could manage.

Inside it took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the twinkling lights lighting an otherwise dim room. There were dozens of students on the makeshift dance floor. Bella spotted Jessica and Mike to one side and let out a relieved breath.

‘Come on,’ Edward said into her ear and began to half lead, half drag her towards the heart of the dancing.

‘What? No! Edward!’ she protested in vain. Since she was reliant on him to be able to walk more than a step without landing on her face she could hardly let go of his arm.

He stopped in the middle of the floor, in a convenient open space. Just then the heavy thrumming music gave way to something slower. ‘Relax,’ he told her. His arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up with ease. Suddenly she found herself standing on his shoes with the toes of her heels.

He took her other hand in his and began to lead her in a slow step around the floor.

Bella’s lips formed a soft ‘oh’.

‘Not so bad, right?’ She nodded mutely.

It wasn’t, actually. There was no chance she could fall like this and it was left to Edward to keep the beat, something else Bella wasn’t terribly good at. After a minute her body relaxed into his and she closed her eyes briefly. No, it wasn’t so bad after all.

The slow dance led into another, slightly more upbeat, but Edward didn’t change his grip on her. She had a feeling he was dancing to the music in his own head anyways. They were half-way through the next song when she felt him stiffen slightly against her, almost immediately followed by a tap on her back. Startled, Bella stepped backwards, only remembering then that she was standing on Edward’s feet for a reason. She tottered slightly in the heels, but his arms gripped her tightly.

‘Hey, Bella,’ Jacob said from behind her.

‘Um, hey Jake. What are you doing here?’ Her eyes narrowed disapprovingly. ‘Are you crashing the prom?’

Jacob smiled down at her.

 _Down_ at her.

‘When did you get so tall!’ she exclaimed.

‘I’m a teenage boy, Bella; we grow. And no, I’m not crashing prom. I just...wanted to see you for a minute. Can we...talk?’ He said this last part to Edward rather than to her.

Edward was still pressed against her back and Bella felt him stiffen even more. ‘If that’s what Bella wants,’ he said cautiously.

‘It’s alright,’ she told him. ‘Just let me dance with Jacob for a minute and then you can have me back.’

Edward smiled at her. Jacob frowned. But Edward relinquished his hold with ease, stepping back to allow Jacob to take her in his arms instead. She caught one final glance of Edward’s face as he disappeared into the crowd.

Jacob was not nearly the dancer Edward was. They swayed back and forth to the beat, but that was about all they could manage.

‘So, how have you been?’ Bella asked him.

‘Oh, you know same old, same old. You?’

‘Um, pretty good. Busy, you know, with exams,’ she lied.

‘Yeah, um, anyways, it’s good to see you. You haven’t been down to the res since...’ his voice trailed off and Bella winced.

‘Yes, sorry about that. It’s just, things have been, um, busy.’ Very busy, what with sadistic vampires trying to kill her and spending most of her time at the Cullens’.

‘Right,’ Jacob said, in a voice that clearly stated he didn’t believe her. ‘Anyways, I just wanted to see you.’

‘You came all the way here to crash prom just to see me? You could have called.’

Jacob actually blushed. ‘Yeah, I was sort of...that is, um.... Look, don’t be mad, but my dad sort of...paid me to come here tonight.’

‘ _Paid_ you?’

‘Yeah. Twenty bucks.’ Bella blinked at him, confused. ‘Look, I want you to know that I think this is stupid, but he made me come. And I could use the money.’

‘Okay. _Why_?’

‘My dad’s...worried. About you...and the Cullens.’

Bella’s thoughts were tumbling over in her head, trying to sort themselves into something that made sense. Suddenly, an inkling dawned. Billy was the one that had told Jacob the legend of the Cold Ones. The story Jacob didn’t believe to be true. But Billy did.

‘Look, Jake,’ she started to argue, but he cut her off.

‘Just, let me say it, okay? My dad wanted me to tell you that he thinks you should stay away from your...boyfriend. He said that, and I quote,’ he raised his hands from her waist to make quotation marks in the air. ‘That “we’ll be watching”.’

‘That’s it?’

‘Um, yeah,’ Jacob admitted.

‘Right. Well, tell him thanks. And make sure he pays up.’

Jacob sighed, relieved to find that she wasn’t mad. ‘I will. Anyways, I should go. Your...boyfriend looks like he wants you back.’ Jacob was looking behind her to where Edward was probably making his way back to them. The song was almost over.

‘It was nice to see you, Jacob,’ she told him.

‘You too. Come visit, okay?’

‘Of course,’ she promised, not at all sure she’d be able to.

Jacob gave her one last lingering look before he disappeared into the crowd, just as Edward’s cold hand settled back around her waist.

‘Want to go outside?’ he asked. She nodded to him. The music and people were suddenly too much. Her head was whirling with what Jacob had told her.

Outside the air was clean. The sky was black now with night. There were only a few people around. Most were inside dancing to the music. Edward led her a bit away from the building to a quiet patch of grass before he drew her back into his arms.

‘You seemed surprised to realise I was taking you to Prom.’ He told her. ‘What did you think Alice was doing all afternoon?’

‘At first?’ she asked. ‘I thought it was just her usual Saturday ‘let’s dress Bella up like a Barbie’ thing. I didn’t start to think about it until she put me in the dress. Then I thought, maybe you were taking me to dinner or something. Somewhere _nice_. When she put the shoes on, well, I hardly thought it was going to involve dancing! I can’t even walk in these things without tripping!’

She picked one foot up and stuck it straight out so that Edward could see the three inches of heel attached to the sole. ‘Honestly, it’s like she _wants_ me to break a leg.’

‘Hardly,’ Edward muttered dryly. ‘She knew I’d be here to catch you.’

Bella smiled at that.

‘You really just thought it was dinner?’

‘Well, maybe not. It took a bit to remember what weekend it was, but when I first thought about Prom I figured you’d have listened to me when I said no. And then I realised you never listen to me.’

‘Too right. At least in matters like this. You deserve all the human experiences you can get. Prom is an important one.’

‘I suppose,’ she shrugged. They were swaying together in time to the faint music drifting across the lawn.

‘And it wasn’t that bad, was it?’

She smiled. ‘No. So far, I haven’t tripped once! But speaking of that, can we go? Just standing in these shoes is making my feet hurt.’

‘They can’t be the most comfortable things,’ he admitted with a glance at her feet. ‘Alice doesn’t remember, of course, what wearing heels as a human feels like.’

‘Surely Rosalie does?’

‘Probably. But then, human Rosalie cared quite a bit about her looks. She would have done anything to be beautiful, even if it hurt.’

Bella mulled that over for a bit. ‘I will never understand women.’

Edward threw his head back and laughed. It was quite a sight. ‘Emmett’s right; you are funny. I think you can stay.’

Bella cocked an eyebrow at him. ‘Oh, I _can_ , can I?’

‘Yep,’ he quipped.

In the background, the music faded to a soft melody and Edward pulled her closer.

‘Edward?’ she whispered to him, face buried in his cold shoulder.

‘Yes Bella?’

She pulled back to look at him. ‘Kiss me,’ she pleaded.

‘It would be my pleasure,’ he smiled at her before capturing her lips with his own.

It felt so right; like coming home and being safe all wrapped up in one. When he kissed her, Bella forgot about everything else. All that mattered was Edward and her and their lips against each others’. How had she lived her life without this? How had _he_?

When he pulled back she gasped for air, thoroughly light headed. He was smiling down at her.

‘I love you,’ he told her.

Bella smiled back at him. ‘I love you.’

They continued to sway to the music as night closed in about them. Just the two of them: vampire and human, together.


End file.
